The first day of spring was only a few days ago, but this week, in parts of the West, it already feels like summer.
Those donning winter sweaters last week were in sleeveless shirts on Tuesday in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, where temperatures were 10 to 20 degrees above average for this time of the year.
Phoenix hit 99 degrees just after 2 p.m., breaking the same-day record of 96 degrees set in 2022. Palm Springs, Calif., hit 100 degrees at 2:20 p.m., surpassing the previous 97-degree high reached in 1988.
These records were unofficial as of the afternoon and were to be formalized later in the day.
More than 48 weather reporting locations from Houston to Seattle had the chance to tie or break daily high-temperature records on Tuesday as unseasonably hot weather settled in for a second day.
It was a dramatic turn from the start of the month, according to Alicia Ryan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “Just two-ish weeks ago, we had system after system bringing colder temperatures,” she said. This week’s weather pattern creates sinking air that warms and dries as it falls. It lends itself to creating a clear lid that allows sunshine in but keeps the heat from escaping.
Places like Phoenix are accustomed to soaring temperatures in the summer, but the heat can be dangerous early in the season.
“Since we’re coming out of that cooler, wetter period, we didn’t really get a good transition period for people to get acclimated,” Ms. Ryan said. She and other meteorologists in the area warned people to take extra safety precautions they might not be used to taking in March, like hydrating, staying in the shade or taking extra breaks when outside.
But unlike a summer heat wave, these high temperatures won’t last long. Much of the West is expected to swing back to below-average temperatures by Thursday.
In the Southwest, places like Phoenix might not see such a dramatic swing. Temperatures are expected to remain slightly above average, but not near the summerlike numbers of early this week.
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