Extreme March heat is breaking records across the United States, and four graphics show the scale
An unusual burst of March heat is affecting the United States, with the Associated Press reporting that the warmth is extending into the following days and pushing past previous monthly heat records. The AP’s graphics and charts are designed to make the event’s reach visible, because extreme heat is most acutely felt by people exposed to it.
The reporting describes temperatures in multiple parts of the country that are well above what is typical for March. Compared with the average highs for March from 1991 to 2020, the AP says temperatures in parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska, northern Texas and South Dakota are reaching at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) above normal.
The AP also reports that many of the observed records have already been broken. It notes that California and Arizona have seen daily highs surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in March—an abrupt break from typical conditions, which are at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) lower during this time of year.
The Associated Press said those record-breaking highs have not been verified with the National Weather Service, which typically verifies heat records after events end. Even so, the AP reports that the trend is apparent in initial temperature readings in dozens of U.S. cities.
In a separate finding discussed in the AP report, a group of international climate scientists with World Weather Attribution said the record-shattering heat would be “virtually impossible” without the effects of climate change. The AP describes how burning fuels such as oil, gas and coal releases greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, which then heat the planet.
The AP’s graphics also identify how the most intense temperatures are concentrated geographically, while acknowledging that high heat is not limited to just a couple of states or only areas that regularly reach triple digits. It reports that Palm Springs reached a daily maximum as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) on Friday, and says the previous March record was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in 1966.
Beyond the headline extremes, the report describes other impacts of unusually hot conditions, including places where 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) is far from normal. It also reports that roughly a quarter of March heat records at 400 weather stations across the United States may be tied or broken this month, based on an AP analysis of weather data managed by regional climate centers.
Looking forward, the AP says the National Weather Service forecast suggests clusters of potentially record-breaking temperatures remain concentrated in the West, including Southwestern states such as Arizona—areas that are accustomed to scorching desert heat but usually not in spring’s early months. It also says forecast graphics show pockets of potentially similar heat in the Northwest and Midwest.
When the current heat wave ends, the AP report says there likely will not be much respite. It reports that April, May and June are likely to be hotter than normal almost everywhere, according to long-term predictions from the National Weather Service, with more typical conditions expected only in the Northeast and near the Great Lakes.
Finally, the AP reports that the NWS forecast suggests Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico are most likely to see a particularly hot spring compared with normal, adding that those states already make up the nation’s hottest region.