THERMAL, CA — The temperature in a desert community in southwestern Arizona reached 110 degrees (43.3 C) on Thursday, breaking the record for the highest March temperature on record in the United States.
The record temperature was recorded outside Lake Martinez, Arizona, in the Yuma Desert, where a winter heat wave swept the Southwest, according to the National Weather Service. The community is located about 145 miles (233 kilometers) west of Phoenix and lies on the border between Arizona and California.
The previous record of 108 degrees (42.2 degrees Celsius) was set in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954, and was tied on Wednesday by a small desert community on California’s North Shore.
By Thursday, temperatures in several other locations in California had reached 108 degrees (42.2 degrees Celsius). Among them are Cathedral City, near the desert destination of Palm Springs, and the aptly named Thermal City, northeast of San Diego. Triple-digit temperatures came on the last day of winter.
The temperature is expected to reach 110 (43.3 degrees Celsius) on Friday and could tie the record.
“For some perspective, the first average 105-degree day of the year typically occurs on May 22,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
This week’s extreme heat wave set record levels in dozens of locations, including Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Robin Pantaleone said the heat didn’t bother him as he used a squeegee to clean a car’s windshield at an intersection in the Thermal area Thursday afternoon. He was wearing shorts and had a supply of electrolyte drinks on hand.
“I’ve drunk three of them so far,” he said under the hot sun. “It’s the desert. It gets very hot. I’m not worried about that.”
On Thursday, several cities experienced the hottest March days on record, according to the National Weather Service.
The temperature in Phoenix reached 105 degrees (40.6 degrees Celsius), surpassing the previous record of 102 degrees (38.9 degrees Celsius) set on Wednesday.
Wednesday also marked the first day of triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix. The last time temperatures in Phoenix rose above 100 during March was nearly 40 years ago. Hiking trails throughout the city were closed Thursday due to the risk of heat illness.
The temperature in Las Vegas reached 95 degrees (35 degrees Celsius), surpassing the previous record of 94 degrees (34.4 degrees Celsius) set on Wednesday.
Temperatures will continue to be 20 to 30 degrees above normal for March for the rest of the week in the Southwest before temperatures cool slightly starting Sunday. Several other cities in the region are expected to see their first day with temperatures above 100 degrees (37.8 C), according to the weather service.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum contributed from Salt Lake City.