Spring Is Coming In Hot As Millions Across The US Face Record Highs This Week
Spring Is Coming In Hot As Millions Across The US Face Record Highs This Week
Jennifer Gray Sun, March 1, 2026 at 7:37 PM UTC
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March 1 is the start of meteorological spring, but the forecast might look more like the beginning of summer for millions across the country. (Astronomical spring begins March 20). This is a major flip compared to last week, when we had an historic blizzard and cold temperatures to start the week.
Over the course of this week, we will see dozens of high temperature records fall from the Desert Southwest to the mid-Atlantic.
Heat Dominates Southwest And Deep South First Half Of The Week
Warm temperatures will continue across the Southwest and Deep South to start the week. Dozens of record highs could fall from Phoenix to Jackson, Mississippi, and even north into Grand Junction, Colorado.
Those hot highs will hang on for one more day across the Southwest, as Monday is expected to hit 91 degrees in Phoenix. This will be the 3rd day in a row temperatures have topped 90 degrees.
Mid to upper 80s will dominate much of Texas to start the week. Just last Thursday, the Falcon Dam cooperative weather station, along the Rio Grande River about 70 miles south-southeast of Laredo, reported a high temperature of 106 degrees. This is a preliminary record of the hottest temperature ever recorded during the winter months in the U.S.
The record warmth will stick around across the South through midweek, then begin to shift eastward.
Southeast And Mid-Atlantic Feeling The Heat Later This Week
By the latter half of the week, the heat will spread eastward, impacting much of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, with the record heat peaking on Friday for most.
On Friday, record highs could fall from Houston to Tampa, and stretch northward into portions of Ohio. This sprawling area will see high temperatures as much as 25-30 degrees above average for this time of year.
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On Friday, we could see record highs in places like Atlanta, Memphis, Charlotte and even Zanesville, Ohio.
On Saturday, places as far north as Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh could see a high in the mid 70s.
While the Northeast isn’t expected to set any records, they will definitely be feeling the spring vibes with temperatures reaching the mid 50 by the weekend. This will be a welcomed change from the two and a half feet of snow that was dumped on the region by Winter Storm Hernando less than two weeks prior.
March Is Trending Warmer For Many
As we make this major flip from such a cold winter to a mild March, this warming trend is expected to continue for most of the country, especially the west, through at least the first half of the month.
So if you have been counting the days until the sun and warmth reaches you, enjoy!
This doesn’t mean the cold weather is behind us, but we can make the most of the warmer days while they last.
(MORE: March Forecast Trending Warmer)
Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
