San Francisco broke records last Friday, hitting 90 degrees for the first time in March. This unusual heat wave didn’t just affect the city; it stretched from California to the Great Plains, marking the hottest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.
Just before 4 p.m., downtown San Francisco, near Duboce Park, registered the high. This surpassed the previous March record of 87 degrees set in 2005. What’s more, it was the earliest 90-degree day on record, arriving over two weeks before the earlier benchmark.
Oakland also made headlines, reaching 91 degrees, smashing its previous daily record by 13 degrees. The San Francisco International Airport recorded 89 degrees, a new March record for the facility. Nearby, Redwood City and San Rafael both tied their March highs at 89 and 93 degrees, respectively.
Cities like Santa Rosa, Napa, and San Jose joined in, breaking daily records. Temperatures across the Bay Area soared 20 to 30 degrees above average.
On that same day, almost 200 temperature records fell across 19 states, with over 90 of them in California. Near the Salton Sea in Riverside County, Dos Palmas reached a blistering 111 degrees, marking a new state record for March.
The most intense heat, however, was about 500 miles southeast, where temperatures soared to 112 degrees in parts of Arizona and California. If verified, these readings could become the highest March temperatures ever recorded in the U.S. Interestingly, this heat is just shy of the national April record of 113 degrees set in Death Valley in 1946 and 2012.
The extreme weather is worth noting in the context of climate change. According to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. has seen a significant rise in extreme heat days over the past few decades. As global temperatures climb, events like these may become more common, affecting everything from agriculture to public health.
Following this heat wave, a cooldown is expected over the weekend. San Francisco’s forecasted high of 73 degrees on Saturday will be nearly 20 degrees cooler than Friday’s peak. By Sunday, temperatures across the region should settle in the 60s, bringing some relief after an intense week.
This extreme weather not only highlights changes in our climate but also serves as a stark reminder of how quickly conditions can shift. Keep an eye on temperatures in your area as patterns evolve. For more information on climate trends, visit NOAA’s Climate.gov.
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Climate, Weather, California, San Francisco, Bay Area
