Temperatures reached record highs in multiple states on Wednesday, asa heat wavethat has been scorching the West since last week expanded into the middle of the country.
The unusually warm weather tied or broke records across the western half of the U.S. over the course of the day, according to the National Weather Service, and warmer temperatures are expected to continue in the coming days as the wave moves east.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming were among the states impacted, with temperatures hitting 90 degrees and higher in major cities throughout the region.
Denversaw its hottest March dayon record, hitting 88 degrees at Denver International Airport. The previous record was 86 degrees, set just four days earlier, on March 21.
Phoenix was among the cities to see the most extreme conditions, after weathering triple-digit temperatures on multiple days already since the heat wave began, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration'sNational Digital Forecast Database. The Arizona capital hit a high of 100 degrees Wednesday, a daily record, theNational Weather Service confirmed. The city's last record-high temperature for this date was set in 2022.
A new record warm low was also set Wednesday in Phoenix, which recorded 68 degrees as its low temperature, theNWS said. The previous record was 66 degrees, set in 2025 and 2004.
Other cities that broke their daily records include Yuma, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; Salt Lake City, Utah; Rawlins, Wyoming, and Pocatello, Idaho.
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Tucson's seven-day streak of tying or breaking maximum daily record highs came to an end Wednesday when it recorded a high of 95 degrees, just one degree shy of the record,the NWS said.
Salt Lake City broke its daily record with 83 degrees. The old record was 78 degrees, set in 2022.
More than 200 additional daily temperature records could be broken through Sunday, said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. The heat wave is forecast to slowly move eastward this week and eventually reach the East Coast on Friday.
Central states are expected to see temperatures of 30 or 40 degrees above average for the time being, and Nolan warned that warmth settling into the Northern Plains will increase fire risks in that region through Thursday.
Numerousfire weather alertswere in effect Wednesday for a large strip of the central U.S., from Montana to Texas, and forecasters warned there is a "critical threat" of fire weather through Thursday for sections of the Rocky Mountains down to the Southern Plains. In addition to the heat, wind gusts in those areas could reach up to 40 or 50 mph this week, while relative humidity is expected to drop to as low as 4% in certain places, Nolan said. Those types of dry, blustery conditions can be conducive to wildfires.
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