Thermal, California, has also been suffering from the heat for days (Image: March 19).Image: keystone
Many US states have been suffering from unusually high temperatures for this time of year for days. A so-called “heat dome” is responsible, the extent of which will probably reach historic proportions.
Mar 25, 2026, 8:49 p.mMar 25, 2026, 8:49 p.m
In a “heat dome,” a high-pressure area acts like a pot lid under which the hot air accumulates over a region. In the USA, the phenomenon has been responsible for record March temperatures since last week: never since records began have the average temperatures in the USA been so high in March. 14 states also have a March record.
According to the National Weather Service, four locations in Arizona and California recorded 44.4 degrees Celsius last Friday. According to Sciene Alert, not only was the record for the hottest March day on the American mainland broken by two degrees Celsius – it was just one degree shy of the hottest day ever recorded in the 48 continental states in April.
“Heat dome” continues to expand
Now it is clear: the “heat dome” will not disappear yet. It’s likely to stay until the middle of next week, when April begins, Gregg Gallina of the National Weather Service’s Weather Forecast Center told the AP. And: It will expand even further. Until now the heat was sweltering over the southwest of the USA, but now it is slowly shifting to the east.
It could therefore prove to be one of the most widespread heat waves in US history, meteorologists and weather historians say according to “Science Alert”.
“It’s basically going to be hot across the entire United States,” said Gregg Galline earlier this week. “The area in which record temperatures are measured is extremely large. That’s what’s really bizarre about it.”
For example: Flagstaff, Arizona, is expected to see 11 or 12 straight days of temperatures, all above the city’s previous March record, according to meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections.
A sign warned hikers of a closure on Camelback Mountain due to extreme heat on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona.Image: keystone
According to Gallina, the eastward movement of the high pressure system will bring temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius across the southern and central plains of the United States by Wednesday. A quarter to a third of the 48 continental states are likely to expect March record values.
The record heat was “practically impossible” to come about without the influence of man-made climate change. Came to this conclusion a group of international climate researchers. Climate change, caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, has made this event 800 times more likely. These activities contributed “at least 2.6 degrees Celsius” to the heat.
Although the temperatures are high in summer, there is a small ray of hope for people who suffer from the heat: the air is much less humid than in summer, making the heat much more bearable.
How does this weather situation come about?
According to experts, the jet stream – the strong wind band that transports weather systems from west to east – is “stuck” further west. This is also reflected right there: Hawaii is currently being hit by a series of storms that have left people with torrential rain and flooding have to fight.
(lak)