From Texas to California, a record heat wave swept across the Western United States.
Early last week, Texas experienced an event called “weather whiplash” which is a sudden transition between hot and cold weather.
Levelland and other cities in West Texas reached temperatures as low as the mid-30s, but starting last Thursday, temperatures rose into the 90s, falling just short of 100 degrees later in the week.
Other cities in Texas are also experiencing the high heat, including Dallas, where temperatures reached the mid-90s. Central Texas and San Antonio, where temperatures came close to 100 degrees, and Houston reached temperatures near the 90s.
In the Southwest region of the United States, the National Weather Service issued extreme heat warnings and heat advisories.
Projected temperatures for California, Nevada, and Arizona are expected to exceed 100 degrees within a three-day stretch.
In Redwood City, California (near San Francisco), temperatures hit 90 degrees last Monday. The temperature rose again on Tuesday, reaching 93 degrees for the first time in 96 years, according to the Weather Channel.
Phoenix, Arizona, reached temperatures surpassing 105 degrees, making it the hottest place across the U.S. this past weekend.
Before 2026, Phoenix reached 100 degrees once in March. The state is expected to reach that temperature at least four days in a row. Normally, Arizona wouldn’t reach 100 degrees until May, according to the Weather Channel.
Cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Kansas City all have a chance to break March temperature records, and many states in the Central and Western United States could break record temperatures as well. Record temperatures are occurring now, rather than in summertime, due to a highpressure system creating a heat dome that traps heat like putting a lid over a boiling pot of water. The highpressure system lingers due to a jet stream locking it in place, according to the Weather Channel.
During a high-pressure system, sinking air is compressed near the surface and heats up from the sun. Cloud formation is also limited because clouds require rising air to cool and condense. Since the heat has nowhere to go, and storm formation is limited under high pressure, more direct sunlight will feed the trapped air, creating a warmer-thanusual environment, according to the Weather Channel.