4 graphics show the scale of extreme heat hitting the US

A burst of unusual March heat is hitting the United States this week and into next, busting previous monthly heat records by wide margins. While heat is most acutely felt by people exposed to it, graphics and charts convey the scale of this extreme event.

Let’s start with records already broken, in some cases by huge margins. California and Arizona have seen daily highs surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in March, a major break from the norm, which is typically at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) lower this month.

The record-breaking heat isn’t contained to just two states. Roughly a quarter of March heat records at 400 weather stations across the United States may be tied or broken this month, based on an Associated Press analysis of weather data managed by regional climate centers.

Those highs have not been verified with National Weather Service, which usually happens after heat events, but the trend becomes clear in reviewing initial temperature readings in dozens of U.S. cities.

The heat won’t be easing up for a while. The forecast from the National Weather Service shows how clusters of potentially record-breaking temperatures are concentrated in the West, with the hottest conditions centered in Southwestern states such as Arizona, long accustomed to scorching desert heat, but usually not until summer months.

The highest temperatures likely to be felt will be in Southern California, where the daily high climbed to 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in Palm Springs on Thursday and could reach even higher. The previous record for March was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in 1966.

While most extreme heat is concentrated in the West, as the chart shows, there are also pockets in both the Northwest and Midwest.

The record-shattering heat would be “virtually impossible” without the effects of climate change, a group of international climate scientists at World Weather Attribution said in a report Friday. The burning of fuels like oil, gas and coal, release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which go into the atmosphere and heat the planet.

Temperatures in the West remain far above what’s typical for March, a sign the early season heat is not letting up. Compared with the average highs for March between 1991 and 2020, temperatures across some parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska, northern Texas and South Dakota are reaching at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius) above normal.

That is important. While triple digit temperatures gain the most attention, 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in a part of the country not used to such heat can have a big impact. On that count, the graphic shows how much of the U.S. will be experiencing warmer temperatures than usual for this time of year.

When this heat wave ends, there likely won’t be much respite.

April, May and June are likely to be hotter than normal almost everywhere, according to long-term predictions from the National Weather Service. The only places where forecasters predict a more typical season are the Northeast and areas near the Great Lakes, in the northern part of the country.

Forecasters say Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico — already the nation’s hottest region — are most likely to see an even more sizzling spring than typical.

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