A Hot Start to Spring in the Southwest

What Happened

Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory A Hot Start to Spring in the… Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Notes from the Field Blog Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search Extreme heat lingers over the U.S.

Why It Matters

Southwest and Mexico on March 20, 2026, in this visualization based on GEOS-FP data.

Key Details

NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison In March 2026, the first official day of the Northern Hemisphere’s spring felt more like summer across much of the southwestern United States.
Numerous high-temperature records fell that day amid a bout of extreme heat. The extent and severity of the heat are represented on this map, which shows air temperatures on the afternoon of March 20, modeled at 2 meters (6.5 feet) above the ground.
It was produced with a version of the GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) model, which integrates meteorological observations with mathematical equations that represent physical processes in the atmosphere.
The darkest reds are where the model indicates temperatures reaching or exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

Background Context

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Source: NASA – Original Link

Source: NASA