Hundreds of records set to fall as historic heat wave roasts western U.S.

An exceptionally powerful ridge of high pressure building over the western United States this week will send temperatures soaring into historic territory through the end of the week and into this weekend.

We’re almost certainly going to break the record for hottest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. during the month of March.

Beyond that dubious achievement, hundreds of daily and monthly temperature records are set to fall across the west, and many areas are on track to see their earliest 100°F reading ever observed. 

This intense ridge of high pressure will help to crank temperatures 20-25+ degrees above average heading into this weekend. 

Here’s a look at the National Weather Service’s predicted highs on…

The scope and intensity of this heat wave is unprecedented for this early in the year.

Forecasters expect more than 600 records to fall through early next week. The NWS is predicting more than 400 daily high temperature records to fall or tie through next Monday, alongside an additional 280 record warm overnight low temperatures. 

For reference, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. during the month of March was 108°F in Rio Grande City, Texas.

Highs in Palm Springs and Yuma are easily expected to meet that mark by the beginning of the weekend, with Yuma’s high of 108°F beating its previous monthly record high by six full degrees.

It’s possible that one of the usual hot spots near the Salton Sea, such as Mecca or Thermal, will crack 110°F on Friday.

Down the road, Phoenix is on track to hit 101°F on Wednesday for their earliest 100-degree reading on record, beating out the previous record of March 26, 1988. A high of 107°F on Saturday would be the earliest such reading there by almost a month and a half (the current record is May 2, 1947).

Las Vegas will inch close to the century mark, easily blowing past their all-time March high temperature of 93°F set back in 2022. The city’s average high this time of year is just 72°F.

The southwest isn’t the only region expecting big-time heat.

Parts of the Bay Area, including some neighborhoods in San Francisco, will climb into the upper 80s by the end of the week. San Francisco Airport may come close to breaking its March high temperature record of 85°F first set back in 1952.

March’s all-time high temperature record is even at risk all the way east in Denver, where a predicted high of 87°F on Saturday would break the old benchmark by three degrees.

Looking ahead, the extreme heat should subside across the southwest heading into next week, though with well above-average temperatures sticking around through the end of the month.

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