US Climate Hit Historic March Extremes

Weather in the contiguous US states was astonishingly hot and dry in the month of March. Pexels

March 2026 marked an extraordinary moment in US climate history, with record-breaking warmth, widespread drought, and stark regional contrasts. According to the NOAA National Climate Report (March 2026), the month set new benchmarks for temperature and dryness, alongside climate variability across the country.

Key Data Points

• The contiguous US average temperature reached 50.85°F, making March 2026 the warmest March in 132 years of recordkeeping. 

• Average daytime high temperatures were 11.4°F above normal, even exceeding typical April highs by 0.9°F. 

• More than 1,432 counties—over half the US—experienced their warmest March day on record. 

• The period from April 2025 to March 2026 became the warmest 12-month span ever recorded in the US (since 1895). 

• National precipitation from January to March 2026 fell to less than 70% of average, making it the driest start to a year on record. 

• Drought expanded to nearly 60% of the contiguous US, the largest footprint since November 2022. 

• March 2026 marked the first time any US month exceeded 9°F above the 20th-century average, underscoring the extremity of the anomaly. 

• Temperatures in Yuma, Arizona, hit 109 degrees, breaking the national March record.

• In contrast, Alaska recorded its fourth-coldest March since 1925, highlighting dramatic regional divergence.