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In an unprecedented turn of events, the tiny desert enclave of North Shore, California, found itself sweltering under a scorching 108 degrees on Wednesday, matching the highest temperature ever documented in the United States for the month of March.
This extraordinary heat spike comes amidst an unusual winter heatwave gripping the Southwest, expected to persist through the weekend and potentially usher in even higher temperatures. The record, originally set by Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954, now includes North Shore in its history books. Meanwhile, the town of Thermal, California, fittingly named for such conditions, is predicted to reach a blistering 110 degrees by Friday.
Adding to the list of heat milestones, Phoenix, Arizona, experienced its earliest-ever triple-digit temperatures on Wednesday, with the mercury reaching a staggering 101 degrees. This surpasses a nearly four-decade-old record set on March 26, 1988, marking only the second time Phoenix has encountered such heat in March, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologist Bryan Lewis from the NWS described this phenomenon as one of the most remarkable March heatwaves ever chronicled, highlighting the severity and rarity of such climatic shifts.
Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the NWS, said this has been one of the most significant March heatwaves in recorded history.
“We’ve broken so many records yesterday and even today we’ve broken quite a few so far,” he said.
Several cities on Wednesday experienced their hottest March day in almost 40 years, according to the NWS.
Las Vegas hit 99 degrees, smashing its hottest March day on record, which was 93 degrees in 2022.
Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees, beating its previous daily high of 87 degrees in 1997.
And the desert destination of Palm Springs, California, was 104 degrees, tying its hottest March day on record from 1966.
It will continue to be 20 to 30 degrees above normal March temperatures for the rest of the week in the Southwest before dropping slightly over the weekend. Many other cities in the region are expected to see their earliest 100-plus degree day on record, according to the NWS.