Blazing hot: 1,000+ records fall in brutal March heat wave
The U.S. broke its all-time March temperature record by several degrees on Friday
An unprecedented March heat wave that unfolded across western North America this week broke hundreds of monthly records from Mexico to British Columbia.
Friday saw the United States’ all-time March temperature record shattered by several degrees. Numerous heat records even fell across portions of Canada.
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Hundreds of temperature records shattered
An extremely powerful ridge of high pressure centred over the U.S. Southwest built summerlike heat across the western half of the U.S. and much of northern Mexico, with unseasonably warm readings even eking across the border into Canada.
The scope and severity of this heat wave is unprecedented in modern records for this time of year. It’s almost certainly the most extreme North American heat wave since the infamous heat dome event of 2021.
Nearly 700 monthly high temperature records have fallen over the past seven days across the western and central United States. An additional 382 records were broken over the same time period for record-warm overnight low temperatures.
The heat wave peaked on Friday with an all-time national temperature record of 44.4°C (112°F) set in multiple locations across the extreme Southwest, including near Yuma, Arizona.
Phoenix, Arizona, saw its earliest 37.7°C (100°F) temperature on record on Wednesday, Mar. 18. The city doesn’t usually record its first triple-digit Fahrenheit reading until the beginning of May.
San Francisco’s airport saw an astounding high temperature of 31.7°C (89°F) during the peak of the heat. The average daytime high there in late-March hovers around 17-18°C (64°F).
Extreme heat pushed east to kick off the weekend, with temperatures approaching 40°C (104°F) in Texas and Oklahoma, while readings in the mid-30s climbed as far north as South Dakota.
British Columbia got in on the record heat
Even though the most extreme temperatures remained south of the border, unseasonable warmth built into portions of Western Canada during the event.
At least five communities in southern British Columbia recorded their warmest overnight lows ever observed during the month of March.
Thursday, Mar. 19, brought a low of 14.1°C to the community of Ashcroft. The same day saw lows only drop to 13.5°C in Osoyoos, 12.0°C in Merritt, and 11.9°C in Kelowna.
Readings the following day soared to 22.0°C in Penticton, setting the community’s all-time March temperature record.
More heat is on the way
Temperatures across the hardest-hit areas aren’t cooling off in a hurry.
Forecasters expect the ridge of high pressure parked over the region to reintensify heading into next week, bringing another round of temperatures that are 10-15°C above seasonal to close out the month of March.
Communities like Phoenix can expect to see daytime high temperatures in the upper 30s to near 40°C just about every day next week.