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6h ago

NOAA Confirms Hottest U.S. March on Record as Drought Deepens

A likely El Niño later in 2026 could intensify heat, shifting rainfall.

FILE - Juan Olmedo, left, and his wife Alejandra Delgado use an umbrella to shield from the sun while on a walk at Shoreline Park in Mountain View, Calif., March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
FILE - A jogger runs past as a man sunbathes on a hot day at Crissy Field in San Francisco, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
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The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. in March was 50.85°F, 9.35°F above the 20th-century average, marking the first time any month’s average has exceeded 9°F above that baseline.

Overview

  • NOAA, in a Wednesday report, said March 2026 averaged 9.35°F above the 20th‑century March norm, the largest anomaly ever recorded for any month in the contiguous U.S.
  • The April 2025 to March 2026 stretch ranked as the warmest 12 months on record for the U.S., and January through March 2026 was the driest such period in records dating to 1895.
  • Dryness expanded drought to 59.9% of the Lower 48 by March 31, worsening fire danger and straining water supplies across the West and South.
  • Heat was widespread and persistent, with 1,432 counties logging their warmest March day on record and 10 states in the West and southern Plains posting their warmest March.
  • Copernicus on Friday reported near‑record March ocean warmth and very low Arctic sea ice, and models now favor El Niño development later in 2026 that can raise global temperatures and shift U.S. rain patterns.