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| The western U.S. is gearing up for what is expected to be never-before-seen March heat over the next week to 10 days. This will exacerbate drought and water shortages in the region. After record heat in the East, it will cool down some. |
Now, meteorologists are already talking about another heat wave set to begin in the western U.S. That heat wave might well be easily one of the most extreme out-of-season heat waves ever seen.
More on that in a minute.
Climate change has turned the normal "false springs" of thawing weather and warm early season sunshine.
Already this year. much of the western United States had be far their warmest winter on record. Even in the colder eastern U.S., brief warm spells set records.
Now, we had the heat this week. Hundreds of cities saw record highs broken, over roughly half the United States. The record heat extended over a remarkably large area, from Oklahoma and Texas, through the South and Midwest and along the entire East Coast.
Temperatures reached to near 90 in the Southeast, with one report as far north as Virginia
Several places broke records for warmest for so early in the season. Those include New York City (80 degrees), Georgetown, Delaware, (83 degrees), Baltimore, Maryland (85 degrees) and Burlington, Vermont (73).
Some records were broken by wide margins. Up in Millinocket, Maine, it got to 70 degrees, beating the old record high for the date of 54 degrees.
The unseasonable warmth set the conditions for an outbreak of severe thunderstorms in the Midwest. Abrupt thawing in northern New York and in Vermont created ice jams on rivers which caused some flooding.
The expansive heat wave of the past week has ensured this was the warmest start to March on record for the U.S.
A shift in the weather pattern is now bringing cooler air into the eastern half of the U.S., but is setting the stage for a dangerous, way-before-its-time heat wave out west.
WESTERN HEAT
The expected heat wave in the West will be even stronger and more dangerous than the one now ending in the East
"There are many potential firsts for March on the horizon: It could reach 100 degrees in Los Angeles next week, after record-breaking 95 degree heat on Thursday and Friday.
In Phoenix next week, temperatures could exceed 100 degrees several times. It could also reach the century mark in Las Vegas."
Phoenix could actually reach 105 degrees next week, which looks plausible given the expected intensity of the heat dome. If that happens, not only would Phoenix break its record for hottest day in March, it would tie April's hottest recorded temperatures.
Record highs for the entire month of March could fall in Salt Lake City, Denver, Reno and other western cities. It's fairly rare to break a monthly record. It's especially rare to set one in mid-March, as temperatures are obviously normally warmer at the end of the month.
This is insane.
The impending heat wave is raising alarms about drought and water shortages this summer. Much of the reason is already in drought. The snowpack in the mountains is paltry, as what little snow that fell often melted.
Now this heat wave will melt snow at very high elevations, the way heat waves do in June. That would leave little runoff to keep rivers running and reservoirs with at least some water for the summer.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this heat episode contributes to serious water shortages this summer.
Utah State Climatologist Jon Meyer said the state's snowpack is at record low levels and Utah's reservoirs are only at about 40 percent capacity. "All this means we are likely to see some very tangible water supply cuts and conservation efforts by the state this year," Meyer told the Washington Post.
The early heat waves make me worried about summertime. We've had our share of record heat during the summer in our climate change regime. Some of it has been unprecedented heat in recent years.
Will this be the summer when things really get out of control?
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