Watch out for temperatures in the 90s: Cities in West could break records
Spring has sprung, but for some, next week will feel like summer. Americans in the West should brace for unusually warm days that could break daily high temperature records for this time of year, forecasters said.
A high-pressure system settling over the West could make for highs in the 80s, 90s and possibly even temperatures that break 100 degrees in the Southwest, while the Northwest sees highs up to the low 70s, according to the National Weather Service. Parts of Southern California and Arizona will get into the high 90s on Tuesday, while areas of Nevada, eastern Washington state and Idaho will get into the 70s.
Phoenix is forecast to hit 97 degrees Tuesday, and there's even a chance it could hit 100 degrees, which would make it the earliest date in the year the city has ever reached 100. The earliest 100-degree reading on record for Phoenix was on March 26, 1988. Usually Phoenix doesn't get to 100 degrees until May 2.
The weather service in Los Angeles also warned that "unseasonably warm weather" would bring temperatures in the 70s and 80s, with areas in Los Angeles and Ventura county valleys seeing the 90s, which is "10 to 20 degrees above normal." There is a risk of heat-related illness for those sensitive to heat or anyone working outdoors or without air conditioning, the weather service said.
"All eyes on Monday which will be the warmest day of the year so far," forecasters in Los Angeles said. "Almost all areas will warm by 5 to 10 degrees."
The unusual March warmth is the start of what forecasters say is set to be a warm season across much of the country.
"For April through June, above-average temperatures are favored along the southern tier of the country and for the eastern seaboard," federal scientists at NOAA said this week, adding that the areas most likely to see more warmth than normal are central and south Florida, and an area stretching from the Texas and Louisiana coasts to southern Utah and eastern Nevada.
Wildfire risk remains high in parts of US
Meanwhile, more than 25 million people were under red flag warnings on Saturday in pockets of the country where low humidity and high wind gusts put them at risk of wildfires.
The warnings cover parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Texas; Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota; and Georgia and the Carolinas.
In recent days, wildfires have forced evacuations in North Carolina and killed at least four people and injured hundreds in Oklahoma.
A rapidly developing drought is also expected in portions of western Texas and eastern New Mexico over the next several weeks, contributing to an elevated wildfire risk in the Southern Plains in the coming weeks.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Paste BN