Parts of California and Arizona were again placed on heatwave alert on Saturday, while stifling heat, worthy of summer, extended to Nebraska, the day after spring.
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Temperatures at or above 37.7°C were forecast in the southwest, capping an exceptional week of record heat.
Experts predict that April, May and June will likely be warmer than normal almost everywhere in the United States.
Win Marsh said the heat prompted her to return home to Utah early after hiking 170 miles in two weeks with her husband, Stephen, in Arizona. Their goal was to hike more than 800 miles on the Arizona Trail.
“We know our limits,” said M.me Marsh, 63, Saturday. You can’t hike when you’re too hot. There is no shade and the water points are drying up. We promised our children not to take risks. We are not here for a rescue operation. »
The National Weather Service predicted 37.7°C in Tucson, Arizona. The Yuma Desert, a desert community in southwest Arizona, was set to reach 40.5°C, the day after a record temperature for a March in the United States with 43.3°C.
Two locations in Southern California also recorded these temperatures on Friday. Experts say scorching days usually arrive in May, not March.
PHOTO GREGORY BULL, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
A woman packs up her belongings after relaxing in the shade on the edge of Salton Lake, March 19, 2026, near North Shore, California.
In the Midwest, temperatures exceeding 32.2°C were forecast across Nebraska, before a sharp drop on Sunday, with temperatures between 10 and 15°C.
A red alert has been issued, signaling an increased risk of forest fires. Parts of Texas also recorded temperatures of 32°C or higher on Saturday.
March’s heat would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, according to a report released Friday by World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists studying the causes of extreme weather events.
