40 degrees difference in a few days
The thermometer rose to 44° in California and Arizona, a national heat record for the month of March. In Palm Spring, a peak was observed at 41.5° on March 19. According to the National Weather Prediction Center, this is unheard of since 1893 and the creation of this organization.
This heat wave is now affecting the center of the country where other temperature records are being recorded whereas a few days earlier negative measurements were measured. For example, in Chanute, a small town in Kansas, on March 16, a cold record was reached with -10.5°. Four days later, a heat record was noted with 32.8°.
As of Saturday, the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat alert in California and Arizona. A high wildfire risk alert was also declared in the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.