March Shatters Heat Records Across Continental U.S.

Forecasts predict a brewing 'super' El Niño will further intensify global warmth in the coming years.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 2:26pm

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A vast, majestic landscape painting in the style of Caspar David Friedrich, featuring a raging wildfire consuming a dry, barren landscape under an ominous, fiery sky. The scene uses deep, atmospheric perspective and dramatic backlighting to convey the overwhelming, sublime scale of the climate crisis.A sublime, apocalyptic landscape painting captures the overwhelming power of climate change-fueled wildfires and extreme heat waves sweeping across the American West.Moreno Valley Today

March's persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. The next year or so looks to turn the dial up on global warmth even more, as some forecasts predict a brewing El Niño will reach superstrength.

Why it matters

This record-breaking heat comes on the heels of the worst snow year and the hottest winter on record, further underscoring the accelerating impacts of climate change. A powerful El Niño event could push global temperatures to new highs, with far-reaching consequences for weather patterns, agriculture, and more.

The details

March's average temperature of 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit (10.47 degrees Celsius) was 9.35 F (5.19 C) above the 20th century normal, easily passing the old record of 8.9 F (4.9 C) set in March 2012 as the most abnormally hot month on record. The average maximum temperature for March was especially high at 11.4 F (6.3 C) above the 20th century average and was almost a degree warmer than the average daytime high for April.

  • March 2026 was the hottest March on record for the U.S.
  • April 2025 to March 2026 was the warmest 12-month period on record in the continental United States.
  • On March 20 and 21, about one-third of the nation felt unseasonable heat that would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.

The players

Shel Winkley

A meteorologist with Climate Central, a nonprofit science research group.

Jeff Masters

A meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.

Victor Gensini

A meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University.

Jonathan Overpeck

The dean of the environment school and a climate scientist at the University of Michigan.

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What they’re saying

“What we experienced in March across the United States was unprecedented.”

— Shel Winkley, Meteorologist

“Climate change is kicking our butts.”

— Jeff Masters, Meteorologist

“A strong El Niño could plausibly push global temperatures to new record levels in late 2026 and into 2027.”

— Victor Gensini, Meteorology Professor

“Global warming is supercharging El Niños and the atmospheric warming they drive.”

— Jonathan Overpeck, Climate Scientist

What’s next

Meteorologists expect the brewing 'super' El Niño to form in the coming months and intensify through the winter, likely pushing global temperatures to new record highs in late 2026 and 2027.

The takeaway

This record-shattering heat wave underscores the accelerating impacts of climate change, with a potentially devastating 'super' El Niño on the horizon that could push global temperatures to unprecedented levels and disrupt weather patterns worldwide.