Record-breaking heatwave grips western US at tail end of winter

2026.03.20 03:50 An unhoused person cools off using a fire hydrant as a heatwave engulfs southern California in Los Angeles. Photo: Reuters A punishing heatwave has been gripping the western United States, with parts of the region logging record temperatures - even though it was still winter. A desert community in southwestern Arizona reached 43.3 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, breaking a record for the highest March temperature recorded in the United States. The record-setting temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, in the Yuma Desert. The previous record of 42.2 degrees had been set in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954 and was tied on Wednesday by the tiny desert community of North Shore, California. An extreme heat advisory was in place for swathes of southern California and Arizona, with forecasters warning of dangerous effects on local populations. By Thursday, several more California locations had 42.2 degrees. Among them were Cathedral City, near the desert destination of Palm Springs, and the aptly named town of Thermal, northeast of San Diego. Las Vegas hit 35 degrees, topping the previous record of 34.4 degrees set Wednesday. “We are seeing temperatures that are much, much warmer than normal,” National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said. “It’s also the first major heatwave of this year … occurring after periods of cooler temperatures. So the population has not gotten used to these temperatures yet.” Schoenfeld said anyone spending time outside was at risk of heatstroke, with experts warning people to seek out air-conditioned rooms, and to drink plenty of fluids. The last 11 years have been the hottest in recorded history around the planet. Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that heatwaves such as the one pummelling the western United States are a clear marker of global warming, a process driven chiefly by humanity’s unchecked burning of fossil fuels. “We are likely to continue to break daily cal

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