Arizona town shatters US temperature record for March
USA Today • • nation
Key Points:
- A small community near Martinez Lake, Arizona, set a new U.S. record for the highest March temperature, reaching 110 degrees on March 19, surpassing the previous 108-degree record from 1954 in Rio Grande, Texas.
- The early heat wave affecting the Southwest is driven by a high-pressure system creating an expansive dome of unusually hot temperatures across Arizona, California, and neighboring states.
- Over 18 million Americans were under extreme heat warnings on March 20, with millions more under heat advisories across Southern California, southern Nevada, and much of Arizona.
- The heat wave shattered numerous daily and monthly temperature records, including Phoenix reaching 105 degrees on March 19, well above its normal high and earlier
