California community ties all-time March temperature record in the US

NORTH SHORE, Calif. (AP) — A tiny desert community in Southern California reached 108 degrees on Wednesday, tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.

It came amid a record-breaking winter heat wave in the Southwest that will stretch into the weekend and could produce even higher temperatures.

The record — first reached by Rio Grande City, Texas in 1954 and now shared by North Shore, California — could be broken in a number of cities and towns by week’s end. The aptly named Thermal, California, was forecast to hit 110 degrees on Friday.

Triple-digit temperatures also came earlier than ever before in Phoenix when the Arizona capital hit 101 degrees Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was set almost 40 years ago, on March 26, 1988, the only other time Phoenix temperatures have climbed into the hundreds during the month of March, according to the NWS.

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.