An unprecedented heatwave in the West broke records for March highs of 108 degrees across the United States. This is an alarming signal of how hot the Earth is getting, and how fast it’s happening.
Temperatures in Yuma, Arizona, reached 109 degrees Friday afternoon, breaking the national March record of 108 degrees set in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954 and 1902, according to the National Weather Service and other networks’ weather records database.
The new record could be even hotter. Temperatures near Lake Martinez, Arizona, reached 110 degrees on Thursday and 112 degrees on Friday, but this is a temporary weather station with no quality control, raising questions about its accuracy. The National Center for Environmental Information told CNN it does not verify or confirm monthly temperature records.
The scorching heatwave is expected to continue into the weekend, with temperatures in Southern California and Arizona expected to reach near national records.
An unusually powerful and vast thermal dome is the catalyst for the heat, but its size is undoubtedly exacerbated by pollution from global warming. As the world warms, heat waves are becoming more frequent, more intense, and last longer.
Climate scientists at World Weather Attribution released an analysis on Friday that found this heatwave was “virtually impossible to occur at this time of year absent anthropogenic climate change.”
It’s rare for such a powerful heat dome to appear this early in the year, and it could actually be even more dangerous if it arrives ahead of schedule. “This early and prolonged heat wave with limited seasonal adaptation will increase the risk of heat effects, especially among sensitive populations and those without effective air conditioning,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
Heat waves are the deadliest extreme weather event in the United States, killing on average more than twice as many people each year as hurricanes and tornadoes combined.
More than 100 March records have already been broken or matched this week in multiple Western and High Plains states, including California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, South Dakota and Wyoming. Additionally, summer-like temperatures are 20 to 40 degrees warmer than average, setting an all-time record for April.
Phoenix reached 102 degrees on Tuesday, easily surpassing the previous March record of 100 degrees. Thursday broke the record again with a high of 105 degrees, tying April’s monthly record.
The high temperature in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Thursday was 84 degrees, breaking the previous March record by 11 degrees and beating the April record by 4 degrees.
Denver, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Burbank, Fresno and Palm Springs, Calif. are some of the other cities where temperatures this week will surpass March heat records.
Temperatures in Denver could soar to near 90 degrees, an April record, by Saturday.
The heat dome will contract eastward over the next few days.
Dozens of cities from Texas east to South Dakota and the Carolinas could set at least one daily record high.
That includes Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, where high temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s into the weekend. These temperatures are comparable to the average for late June and July.
Nebraska’s capital, Lincoln, could reach a March high of 91 degrees by Saturday. The heat could worsen the state’s fire conditions, including the Morrill County Fire in western Nebraska, which is already the largest in state history.
As for the West, record-breaking heat will continue for several days into next week. Temperatures could reach new daily highs in parts of Arizona, California and Nevada until at least Wednesday next week.
The long-term outlook is also not reassuring, with temperatures expected to be above normal for the rest of this month.
