Arizona
Historic March Heat Wave For West, Plains, Including California, Arizona | Weather.com
Southwest Bakes Under Summerlike Heat
A historic heat wave is underway in the West that will also spread into parts of the Plains smashing all-time record highs for March, perhaps even April, and this will have staying power in the Southwest into next week.
(MAP: Temperatures Right Now)
March Records Already Set
Eleven cities in California and Arizona have already tied or set new March record highs.
For the first time in 96 years, Redwood City, California, hit 90 degrees in March on Monday. They did it again Tuesday, topping out at 93 degrees.
Other March records have been set in Santa Ana, California (100 degrees Tuesday) and tied in Flagstaff, Arizona (73 degrees Tuesday).
People flock to Baker Beach near the Golden Gate Bridge as a heat advisory was issued in San Francisco, California, on Monday, March 16, 2026.
(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Heat Wave Shifts To Higher Gear
There’s much more ahead in this heat wave.
The National Weather Service has issued extreme heat warnings and heat advisories in the Southwest. This is the first time a heat advisory has been issued in the Bay Area during in March.
(MORE: Heat Safety And Preparation)
It will not only intensify in the Southwest, but it will spread throughout much of the West into parts of the Plains later this week into the weekend.
While some cooler air will slide into the northern and central U.S. beginning Sunday, record heat will persist in the Southwest into at least the first half of next week.
How hot are we talking about? Think mid-summer heat as we’re turning the page officially to spring in mid-late March.
Triple-digit highs: The Desert Southwest, including Phoenix, Tucson, possibly as far north as Las Vegas, and parts of the L.A. Basin are forecast to see 100-degree-plus highs for multiple days. This weekend, a few of the hottest locations in the Southern Plains could also reach the century mark.
90s: California’s Central Valley, even parts of the Bay Area, will rise into the 90s for multiple days. This weekend, 90s are possible as far north as Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas. And that could reach as far east as Omaha and Kansas City.
(MAPS: 10-Day US Forecast Highs, Lows)
Historic Notables
Again, we’re not just talking about records set for a specific calendar day. This heat wave could set records for any March day in over 100 cities from California to Montana to Nebraska to Texas.
These are locations that could tie or set new all-time March heat records in this heat wave.
Prior to this, Phoenix, Arizona, had only hit 100 degrees once in March. They’re expected to see at least four, if not more, straight days of triple-digit highs in this heat wave. In an average year, they typically don’t reach 100 degrees until May 2.
Both Las Vegas and downtown Los Angeles have never hit 100 degrees in March. They have a low chance of doing that in this heat wave.
Kansas City hasn’t reached 90 degrees in March since 1910. They might do that this weekend. In parts of the Plains, highs this weekend could be as much as 40 degrees warmer than average.
Perhaps most impressive is some all-time March records for entire states could be in jeopardy. According to weather historian Christopher Burt, 10 states from Arizona and California to Wyoming to Oklahoma could threaten their all-time state March records, including:
- California: 107 at Mecca on March 21, 2004
- Arizona: 104 at Yuma on March 21, 2004
- Colorado: 96 at Holly on March 19, 1907
- Oklahoma: 104 at Frederick on March 27, 1971
But wait, there’s even more. Burt also noted the U.S. all-time March record of 108 degrees in Rio Grande City, Texas, is also in jeopardy.
If that city sounds a little familiar, this Deep South Texas reporting station recorded what may be the nation’s hottest winter temperature just over a month ago.
Put simply, this may be most significant, long-lived March heat wave the nation has experienced since the March 2012 heat wave rewrote the record books in the central U.S. and Canada.
Forecast Departures From Average High Temperatures
Why So Hot So Soon?
The reason for why this heatwave in particular has to do with the ridge of high pressure, also known as a heat dome, that is parked over the West.
This heat dome is record breaking for March, comparable in strength to ones we see in June. You can see the general position of the high pressure on the graphic below.
Record high pressure? Record temperatures. Temperatures we are seeing this week… in March... are comparable to what we should be seeing in summer.
This heat dome will eventually weaken and flatten a bit later next week.
Snow Drought, Climate Change
The warmest winter on record in much of the West has already left snowpack at its lowest levels in at least two decades from the Rockies of Colorado to the Oregon Cascades.
As the graph below shows, Colorado’s snowpack is least for any mid-March in the last 40 years, according to the USDA’s National Water and Climate Center.
This graph shows the water locked in Colorado’s snowpack each winter season, with 2025-26 shown by the black line. Areas in the light green shading can be considered “near average” for the state’s snowpack.
(NRCS/USDA)
After feet of snowfall in early February, California’s Sierra snowpack has since dwindled to only 42% of average for this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Melting snow in spring and summer typically supplies 30% of the state’s water. Fortunately, the state’s reservoirs are higher than average due to recent wet years.
This heat wave will further deplete the already paltry snowpack in the West. That could lead to an expansion of drought in the Southwest and higher fire danger early this summer before the summer monsoon kicks in, according to outlooks by NOAA and the National Interagency Fire Center.
And this heat wave appears to have climate change’s fingerprints on it.
According to an analysis by Climate Central, the magnitude of this heat wave by March standards has been made at least five times more likely by climate change.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Friday, May 29, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers
19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers
2-7-1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers
02-08-31-32-40
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Triple Twist numbers
09-20-23-31-36-40
Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?
In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.
How to play the Powerball
To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
- 5 white balls = $1 million.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:
Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The two Republicans running for Arizona attorney general faced each other Thursday in a debate that devolved into insults and name-calling.
State Senate President Warren Petersen is running against military attorney Rodney Glassman in the Republican primary. The debate turned chaotic as the candidates clashed.
“Are you asking the questions, Steve?” Petersen said.
The moderator attempted to regain control. “Gentlemen, we’re going to reset,” he said.
Candidates clash over experience
The debate was the last before early voting begins next month. In between the name-calling, the two candidates argued over their resumes.
Glassman said Petersen does not have the legal experience for the job.
“Warren is just full of information, you can call them lies. He received his law license in December 2023, 28 months ago. He has never filed a lawsuit as a lawyer. He has never prosecuted a criminal as a lawyer,” Glassman said.
Petersen has had a law license for less than three years. He said he worked on cases in Scottsdale while earning his degree. Petersen said his experience as the current state Senate president also counts.
“I have done more in three years than Rodney Glassman will even get done in his life because he’s a trust fund baby who’s just looking for a place. He’s been running for 15 years and he’s lost six elections in a row,” Petersen said.
History of campaigns
Glassman has not won an elected office since he served as a Democrat on the Tucson City Council in 2007. Glassman is an Air Force attorney with 17 years of experience.
Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky said the real winner was the incumbent, Kris Mayes.
“I thought it was entertaining television. I’m glad Arizona got to see up close why these two individuals should be nowhere near the AG’s office,” Grodsky said.
Voting in the primary begins June 24.
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The Arizona man known as the “QAnon Shaman” said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s new Anti-Weaponization Fund is an abuse of power by a would-be “king.”
Jacob Angeli-Chansley – the face of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot with his red, white and blue face paint and horned fur headdress – denounced the $1.776 billion program as a “slush fund” for Trump to reward his loyalists.
The Justice Department announced the fund on Monday as part of a settlement with Trump, who had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. The settlement included an assurance that the IRS will drop all audits and claims for back taxes against Trump, his family and businesses.
“You think I’m gonna take a f—ing dime from Trump and the government after he’s using this thing to cover him and his family in perpetuity for all of their crimes?” he told Cronkite News by phone. “You think I’m gonna take a dime of that blood money?”
Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who participated in the Jan. 6 riot the day he returned to the White House in January 2025. Many had been convicted of assaulting police officers.
Cronkite News reached out to 17 of those defendants with Arizona ties. None besides Angeli-Chansley responded.
Thirteen were convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes related to the attack. Four of the cases were dismissed after the pardon. The charges included assault on federal agents, physical violence at the Capitol and seditious conspiracy.
See our previous coverage of the Anti-Weaponization Fund and “QAnon Shaman” in the video player above.
Angeli-Chansley pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. He served 27 months of a 41-month sentence. He was released from federal prison in March 2023.
During the riot, he carried an American flag fastened to a spear and used a bullhorn to call other rioters to the dais in the Senate chamber.
“He stated that ‘Mike Pence is a f—-ing traitor’ and wrote a note on available paper on the dais, stating, ‘It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming,’” according to prosecutors.
At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the compensation fund, saying it will be open to anyone victimized by a politically motivated prosecution, not just Jan. 6 defendants.
“It’s not limited to Republicans. … It’s not limited to the Biden weaponization. It’s not limited to, in any way scope or form, January 6 or to (targets of special counsel) Jack Smith. There’s no limitation on the claims,” Blanche said.
He rejected Democrats’ assertions that the fund is a massive, taxpayer-funded attempt by Trump to whitewash the assault on democracy.
“I think it’s telling that everybody on the left and … the liberal side of the media immediately says it’s a slush fund for President Trump’s friends,” Blanche said. “If anything else, that’s an outright admission that they know that the people that really had this Department of Justice weaponized against them were President Trump and his friends. But … that is not what the AG order that I signed yesterday says.”
Blanche, who served as Trump’s private attorney in several cases – prosecutions over election interference and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and allegations of hush money paid to an adult actress ahead of the 2016 election – faced strong criticism from Senate Democrats.
“You are acting today like the president’s personal attorney and that’s the whole problem,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who also noted that a huge banner with Trump’s portrait was draped over the front of the Department of Justice building in February.
At a homeland security committee meeting Tuesday, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego called for legislation barring establishment of a fund of the sort proposed by the Trump administration.
He called it outrageous to provide compensation to “traitors who attacked the Capitol.”
“No president, Republican or Democrat, should be able to use the federal treasury as a personal checkbook,” he said.
Angeli-Chansley now refers to himself as the “American Shaman.” He was heavily involved in the QAnon movement, which centered on a conspiracy theory that Trump was fighting a cabal of Satan worshippers who engage in child sex trafficking.
He was a strong MAGA supporter when the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, interrupting congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Angeli-Chansley has since become disenchanted with Trump. He has also repudiated the QAnon movement.
In a rambling phone conversation with Cronkite News, he repeatedly cited Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting federal trial for trafficking young women and girls for sex.
He reiterated his anger with Trump for resisting the release of the Epstein files.
And he criticized Trump for attacking Iran and supporting Israel, among other things.
Angeli-Chansley sued Trump for $40 trillion in September 2025, asserting he is the true leader of the free world and vowing to use the sum to wipe out the national debt. The lawsuit was dismissed. He later filed a lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, World Bank and others in Maricopa County.
He urged fellow Jan. 6ers to “reject that … money.”
If courts allow the fund to operate, Angeli-Chansley said, it would mean that Trump “can do whatever it is that he wants.”
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