Following the unprecedented March heatwave that shattered records in 14 states and across the U.S., a massive heat dome that has been scorching the Southwest is now shifting eastward. Experts in meteorology and weather history suggest this could become one of the most widespread heatwaves in American records.

This oppressive heat is expected to linger, potentially extending into the middle of the following week as April begins, according to meteorologist Gregg Gallina from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

“The entire nation is poised to experience soaring temperatures,” Gallina remarked on Monday. “What’s truly astonishing is the vast area affected by these record-breaking temperatures.”

This heat dome, characterized by a high-pressure system that traps warm air like a lid over a region, is set to subject Flagstaff, Arizona, to 11 or 12 consecutive days surpassing the city’s previous March temperature record, noted Jeff Masters, a meteorologist affiliated with Yale Climate Connections.

Gallina further explained that the eastward drift of the heat dome will push temperatures into the 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) by Wednesday across the southern and central plains. As a result, roughly a quarter to a third of the contiguous United States will be nearing March temperature records, Gallina added.

The physical area of this heat wave likely dwarfs two other historic heat waves — one in 2012 in the Upper Midwest and Northeast and another in 2021 in the Pacific Northwest — according to weather historian Chris Burt, author of the book “Extreme Weather.” It may not be as large as the Dust Bowl heat waves of 1936, but that was a series of heat waves over two months during summer, not a single big event like now, Burt said.

Both the Dust Bowl and the 2021 heat wave were more intense, with higher temperatures that hurt people more because they fell in June and July, Gallina said.

Another saving grace for people in this heat wave is that it’s not as humid as it would be if the temperatures rose in the summer, Gallina said.

On Friday, four places in Arizona and California hit 112 degrees (44.4 degrees Celsius), according to the Weather Service. Not only did that smash the record for the hottest March day in the continental United States by 4 degrees (2 degrees Celsius), but it was only 1 degree shy of the hottest day recorded in the Lower 48 in April.

Climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks global weather records, compiled a list of 14 states that have notched their hottest March day on record since this heat dome started: California, Arizona, Nevada, Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Utah, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota and Idaho.

“In Mexico, even May records were trashed with March records broken by as much as 14 (degrees Fahrenheit), far more than July 1936, March 1907 or June 2021,” Herrera wrote in an email.

The National Center for Environmental Information registered at least 479 weather stations breaking records for March from Wednesday through Saturday, based on its network of stations. Herrera, who analyzed a broader set of data, said the true number is likely higher. Another 1,472 daily records — which are easier to break — were shattered at the same time, the center said.

What’s happening is the jet stream — which moves weather systems from west to east — is pretty much stuck as far westward as the storms dousing Hawaii, where people are seeing torrential rains and flooding, Masters and Gallina said.

On Friday, a group of international climate scientists called World Weather Attribution determined that the record heat was “virtually impossible” and 800 times more likely because of climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The result of those activities added at least 4.7 degrees (2.6 degrees Celsius) to the heat, said report co-author Clair Barnes, an Imperial College of London scientist with the group.

The heat dome will move on by late next week, Masters said: “We just have to give it time.”

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Television personality Alan Ritchson, known for his role as the towering lead in Reacher, found himself in a more composed state on Monday afternoon following a heated altercation captured on video with a neighbor. The footage, which surfaced on Sunday, depicted Ritchson in a physical confrontation with his neighbor, Ronnie Taylor, sparked by a dispute over the noise from Ritchson’s motorcycle.

Amidst the tranquility of the Brentwood, Tennessee neighborhood, witnesses quickly came to Ritchson’s defense, suggesting that Taylor had provoked the incident. Despite the dramatic scene, Ritchson opted to stay reserved regarding the details when approached for comments later in the day.

When contacted by the Daily Mail, Ritchson was surprisingly laid-back. Unlike the typical reaction of many celebrities who hang up immediately upon realizing they’re speaking to a journalist, Ritchson stayed on the line, displaying exceptional politeness.

In response to inquiries about the altercation, Ritchson stated calmly, “I can’t answer questions about that right now, there’s an active investigation,” expressing his regret for not being able to elaborate further.

‘I can’t answer questions about that right now, there’s an active investigation,’ he said, calmly and apologetically.

The investigation to which Ritchson, 43, was referring was a probe into the brawl, which began about 1.50pm on Sunday, by the local Brentwood Police Department.

‘There is an active investigation, and no arrests have been made. There will be a police report available when the investigation has concluded,’ it told the Daily Mail. 

Taylor and Ritchson brawled on the grass and hedges over the road from Taylor’s $2.7 million five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home.

Ritchson, 43, towered over his neighbor Ronnie Taylor as he landed a flurry of blows, including while Taylor was on the ground

For his part, Taylor told the Daily Mail that he would ‘hardly call it a fight’ and declined to respond to claims he started the brawl.

‘I did not know who he was or care. I only found out after the incident,’ he said.

Their neighborhood is on the quiet outskirts of Brentwood, a Nashville satellite town about 16 miles from the country music mecca’s famous downtown.

Ritchson returned to the US from filming upcoming movie Runner in Australia only a few days before the brawl, and complained in three bizarre Instagram videos about how tired and jetlagged he was.

How much time Ritchson and his family spend in the Tennessee town is unclear as he and his wife Catherine, 42, sold their home in Florida in 2023, saying they would live out of hotels and Airbnbs wherever his projects are filming.

‘It was very shocking to watch. My 12-year-old son was watching the whole thing,’ another neighbor who witnessed the brawl told the Daily Mail.

‘We knew [who he was] after the fact. We knew after the incident. We had a group [meeting] – we pulled out a surveillance video from our camera and one of the neighbors was recording the incident.’

The video showed Ritchson – who has previously spoken about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder – striking Taylor on the ground several times.

Taylor told TMZ that the issue began on Saturday when Ritchson was riding his very loud, green Kawasaki bike through their quiet neighborhood.

He claimed the actor was going at an excessive speed, as well as revving his engine and disturbing the peace.

 Ritchson, who plays Jack Reacher on the Amazon Prime series, declined to comment when contacted on Monday

Ronnie Taylor claimed Ritchson attacked him when confronted about his loud motorcycle

Taylor, also an experienced motorcyclist who’s been riding them ‘all his life,’ said he flipped Ritchson off, and the actor responded in kind.

The following day, Ritchson rode through the neighborhood again at around noon – this time with two of his children on their own bikes – and was allegedly speeding. Ritchson and Catherine have three sons: Calem, 13, Edan, 12, and Amory, 10.

Taylor said he was cleaning his own bike outside his house and asked Ritchson, ‘Can you f**king stop this please,’ which is when the situation escalated.

‘You’ve got to stop, someone’s going to get hurt,’ Taylor said he told Ritchson.

Taylor claimed he reported to police that Ritchson punched him in the face and kicked him. He also claimed Ritchson hit him ‘at least four times’ and in the back of the head, causing bruises and swelling, but he did not go to hospital.

‘I’ve had such a s**tty day today, I don’t wish the guy any malice or ill will but we just don’t need people riding through neighborhoods like this and I decided I’d take a stand because someone had to,’ he told TMZ. 

In the video, shot by a neighbor through their window, Ritchson picked up his helmet off the ground and grabbed his bike after beating Taylor. He then lost control of the bike, which veered onto the lawn. Meanwhile, Taylor picked something off the ground and walked up to Ritchson, and then away again. 

Ritchson got back on his bike and drove off, followed by the two children.

However, sources close to the actor gave a very different account of what sparked the brawl before the camera started rolling.

They told TMZ he did not instigate the fight with his neighbor and was ‘pushed off his bike twice’ by Taylor before the fight.

Witnesses saw Ritchson riding his motorcycle down the street ahead of his two sons on their mini-bikes on Sunday afternoon, the sources said. Taylor saw, and heard, the bikes and ‘bolted into the street to try to stop Alan’s bike in a really aggressive manner,’ the sources claimed.

Ritchson is said to have fallen off his motorbike and suffered cuts and bruises as well as a minor injury to his finger.  

Taylor is alleged to have ‘dared’ Ritchson to hit him while ‘yelling’ at the actor – who was still on the ground. The sources alleged Ritchson tried to leave but was shoved to the ground by Taylor, provoking him into repeatedly punching the neighbor as seen in the video.

Taylor claimed he pushed him because Ritchson was riding towards him on his bike, and when the actor did it a second time, he pushed him again.

‘The second time he got off his bike and kicked the crap out of me,’ Taylor claimed.

Ritchson has been ‘cooperative with the police and nobody has been arrested,’ according to those close to him.

Taylor is also an experienced motorcyclist who’s been riding them ‘all his life’ and was cleaning his bike outside his house when the brawl began

Taylor’s house, across the road from where the brawl took place

Reacher, based on the hit thriller novels by British author Lee Child, was renewed for a fourth season in October 2024, before the third one was even released, and is scheduled for late this year.

Ritchson’s other television credits include Smallville, Blue Mountain State, Blood Drive and Titans.

He appeared in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot and its 2016 sequel, and in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013 and Fast X in 2023.

Ritchson revealed in 2024 that he attempted suicide in 2019, and said a vision of his sons convinced him to continue living. After the suicide attempt, he sought help from a doctor who diagnosed him with bipolar disorder.

During an interview, Ritchson also claimed he had been sexually assaulted while working in the modeling industry. 

In Washington state, a habitual offender with close to 100 arrests finds himself incarcerated once again after leading law enforcement on a perilous pursuit following a spate of retail thefts spanning several counties.

Law enforcement officials have shared footage that captures both the high-speed chase and the apprehension of the suspect.

According to authorities, this marks the suspect’s 98th arrest. He is accused, along with an accomplice, of pilfering thousands of dollars in goods from various stores, employing stolen bags from one outlet to aid in shoplifting from others.

Deputies identified the suspects’ vehicle traveling along Interstate 5 near Olympia. However, before they could pull it over, the driver accelerated, prompting a high-speed pursuit.

Dashcam footage from the police shows deputies in hot pursuit of a pickup truck, with the chase escalating to speeds exceeding 100 mph before the suspects abandoned the vehicle and escaped on foot.

Video from the pursuit captures deputies calling out speeds topping 100 miles per hour as the truck raced toward downtown Olympia.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but called off the pursuit when the driver began racing through city streets and intersections, putting others at risk. 

A second attempt was also halted for safety reasons as the suspect continued driving recklessly toward Lacey, at times running red lights at speeds near 80 mph, according to radio traffic.

Bodycam video shows a deputy taking aim as a suspect stands with hands raised following a high-speed chase through a neighborhood. (Thurston County WA Sheriff’s Office)

A short time later, the truck was found abandoned near College Street.

Authorities say the suspects ran from the vehicle toward a nearby neighborhood and in the direction of an elementary school, prompting a search.

A K9 team tracked them down minutes later.

Video shows deputies confronting the suspects at gunpoint, repeatedly ordering them to “show me your hands” and “keep walking backwards” before both were taken into custody.

Police video shows the suspect walking with hands on his head before deputies take him into custody moments after a 100 mph chase. (Thurston County WA Sheriff’s Office)

Inside the vehicle, investigators say they found thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise, along with meth, heroin and fentanyl.

Deputies also discovered what they described as a custom-built bong embedded in the dashboard, allegedly allowing the driver to use drugs while behind the wheel.

A suspect arrested for the 98th time is seen surrendering at gunpoint after a high-speed chase, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. (Thurston County WA Sheriff’s Office)

Authorities say they obtained a warrant to test the driver’s blood as part of a DUI investigation.

The suspect, a four-time convicted felon with dozens of prior convictions and 97 previous arrests, now faces charges including DUI, attempting to flee from police, and drug possession.

He is expected to face additional organized retail theft charges in Lewis County once released from the Thurston County Jail. The second suspect was turned over to another police department in connection with a separate theft case.

In a statement, the sheriff’s office highlighted the suspect’s history and the outcome of the arrest:

“Tonight, he is back in jail for the 98th time on charges of DUI, eluding, and possession of narcotics,” Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote in a post. “Nice work by deputies and dispatchers to get some career criminals into custody… again.”

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.