While the Bay Area flirts with nearly 90 degree highs, Phoenix is expected to top 100 this week — something it usually does in early May and has never done before March 26. The heat is already affecting spring training for a dozen major league teams trying to get ready for the season.
Palm Springs, California is bracing for a 3-day forecast of 107, 108 and 110 degrees, uprecedented heat for the city.
“This is not typical March warmth," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. "Tens of millions of people are experiencing heat that typically does not arrive until late April, May or even June."
It’s a stark contrast to the Midwest and eastern half of the country, which are digging out after powerful snow storms that led to thousands of flight cancellations this week.
In Las Vegas, there’s a chance temperatures could reach 100 F (37.7 C) Saturday, said meteorologist Brian Planz at the city’s National Weather Service forecast office. That would be the earliest Las Vegas has reached triple digits. Even if temps stay in the double digits, the city is poised to break its March all-time high of 93, set back in 2022.
Denver hasn’t seen three consecutive March days above 80 F (26.6 Celsius) since 1907, but it could happen again this week, the National Weather Service said.
The heat wave comes at the end of an unusually warm winter that has led to a lack of snow in Colorado’s mountains, which provides the water for millions of people.
According to AccuWeather, the heat dome is forecast to continue into the weekend and extend its reach into part of the central United States.
(AP Photo Godofredo A. Vasquez)
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