THERMAL, Calif. (AP) — The Arizona desert community of Martinez Lake hits 110 degrees F, breaking the record for highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S. The community is about 145 miles west of Phoenix.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
THERMAL, Calif. (AP) — A day after a tiny desert community in Southern California reached 108 degrees (42.2 C), tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.,
forecasters warned Thursday that record-breaking winter heat across the Southwest will continue into the weekend.
North Shore, California, on Wednesday tied a mark first set at Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954.
They were joined Thursday by several more California locations that hit 108 degrees (42.2 C). Among them were Cathedral City, near the desert destination of Palm Springs, and the aptly named town of Thermal, northeast of San Diego.
Thermal was forecast to hit 110 (43.3 C) on Friday and could break the March record.
Ruben Pantaleon said the heat didn’t bother him as he used a squeegee to clean car windshields at an intersection in Thermal on Thursday afternoon. He wore shorts and had a supply of electrolyte drinks on hand.
“I drank three of those so far,” he said under the blaring sun. “It’s the desert. It gets real hot. I’m not worried about it.”
Several cities on Wednesday experienced their hottest March day in four decades, according to the National Weather Service. Las Vegas hit 99 (37.2 C) degrees, smashing the previous record of 93 (33.8 C), set in 2022. Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees (34.4 C), beating its previous daily high for March 18 of 87 (30.5 C) in 1997.
Triple-digit temperatures also came earlier than ever before in Phoenix when the Arizona capital hit 101 degrees (38.3 C) Wednesday. The previous record was set almost 40 years ago, on March 26, 1988, according to the NWS.
It will continue to be 20 to 30 degrees above normal temperatures for March for the rest of the week in the Southwest before the mercury drops slightly starting Sunday. Many other cities in the region are expected to see their earliest 100-plus degree (37.8-plus C) day on record, according to the weather service.
“For some perspective, the average first 105-degree day of the year normally occurs on May 22nd,” the weather service said in a statement. The last time Phoenix temperatures climbed into the hundreds during March was almost 40 years ago. Hiking trails around the city were closed because of the risk of heat illness.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum contributed from Salt Lake City.
