Phoenix, Arizona, saw its earliest 37.7°C (100°F) temperature on record on Wednesday, Mar. 18. The city doesn’t usually record its first triple-digit Fahrenheit reading until the beginning of May.
San Francisco’s airport saw an astounding high temperature of 31.7°C (89°F) during the peak of the heat. The average daytime high there in late-March hovers around 17-18°C (64°F).
Extreme heat pushed east to kick off the weekend, with temperatures approaching 40°C (104°F) in Texas and Oklahoma, while readings in the mid-30s climbed as far north as South Dakota.
British Columbia got in on the record heat
Even though the most extreme temperatures remained south of the border, unseasonable warmth built into portions of Western Canada during the event.
At least five communities in southern British Columbia recorded their warmest overnight lows ever observed during the month of March.
Thursday, Mar. 19, brought a low of 14.1°C to the community of Ashcroft. The same day saw lows only drop to 13.5°C in Osoyoos, 12.0°C in Merritt, and 11.9°C in Kelowna.
