Rutherford County, TN - The official start to summer is today (6/20/2025), and let me tell you—she didn’t just knock politely, she kicked the door off the hinges with solar flares, a peek at the aurora borealis (yep, the sky’s feeling flashy), and a heat index set to climb higher than your uncle’s thermostat feud at Thanksgiving.

Next week’s forecast? Hotter than a two-dollar pistol. We’re talkin’ multiple days where the heat index is fixin’ to outdo itself—pushing right past 100°. Don’t panic. Do what we always do: head to the water. Boro Beach at SportsCom is open for cannonballs and cool dips, and Smyrna's Outdoor Adventure Center is ready to soak the scorch right off ya.

Astronomers say June 20 is the astronomical start of summer (fancy talk for “it’s hot and the sun’s up a while”). We’ll enjoy a whopping 14 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. Perfect for grilling, chillin’, and pretending we’re not melting.

Folks are already humming “Hot, Hot, Hot”—and honestly, we should go ahead and slap it on a license plate as Tennessee’s unofficial summer anthem.

But before you fry an egg on the sidewalk, the Heart of Tennessee Red Cross has some real sensible advice:

• Drink water like it’s your job. One cup every hour, even if you’re not parched. Skip the colas and the cocktails till sundown.
• Stay cool. If your AC’s on the fritz, find refuge in a mall, library, or anywhere you’re not sweating like a glass of iced tea.
• Be a neighbor. Check on the elderly, the isolated, the pregnant, the outdoorsy, and the ones who just plain forgot what day it is. Also, don’t leave your pets out in this mess—they need shade and water, too.

John Mitchell with the local Red Cross reminds us: heat is a silent threat. “It’s no joke,” he says—and we believe him. Look out for one another, because Southern hospitality doesn’t take the summer off.

Athletes, yard warriors, and the brave souls on rooftops—schedule those tasks early or late. Midday is best left to lizards and lunatics.

And don’t forget your tech: grab the Red Cross First Aid and Emergency apps. They’re like a pocket-sized rescue squad.

Now, for all y’all griping about how it’s never been this hot—Murfreesboro's seen triple digits before. The 1950s? They didn’t have memes, but they had fans, storefronts with “Come cool off!” signs, and a whole lotta grit. Princess Theatre, Goldstein’s, Harvey’s—they knew how to beat the heat, and so do we.

So pull on your breeziest britches, grab a tall glass of something iced, and enjoy this Tennessee summer for what it is: long, bright, and perfect for porch sittin’.