West brace for April-like heat as March shatters records

March is the warmest on record for daytime highs in the U.S., and a West-wide heat surge is pushing into unprecedented late-winter/early-spring heat. Over the next week roughly 800 high-temperature records are forecast to be neared, tied, or broken at about 165 locations in Western and Central states, with Riverside County potentially hitting around 114 degrees. The pattern highlights how climate change is intensifying temperature extremes, while the heat worsens drought and wildfire risks as rapid snowmelt continues.