Washington — The continental United States experienced its hottest March in 132 years, according to federal weather data, with temperatures soaring to unprecedented levels. As the world braces for more heat, predictions of a “super” El Niño are raising concerns about even warmer global temperatures in the near future.
March’s heat was not just notable for its records but for how much it surpassed previous norms. The average temperature for March reached 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit, an astonishing 9.35 degrees above the 20th-century average, breaking the previous record from March 2012, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The average maximum temperature was particularly remarkable, exceeding the usual March figures by 11.4 degrees, nearly matching April’s typical daytime highs.
Growing Concerns Among Scientists
In the past decade, six of the ten most abnormally hot months have occurred, with this February ranking as the tenth highest above normal. Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, described March’s conditions as “unprecedented,” highlighting the sheer number of all-time records set during this period and its context as following the hottest winter and the worst snow year on record.
According to NOAA, the period from April 2025 to March 2026 was the warmest 12-month stretch recorded in the continental U.S. On March 20 and 21, approximately one-third of the country experienced heat levels that Climate Central deemed nearly impossible without human-induced climate change. Meteorologist Guy Walton reported over 19,800 daily temperature records were broken, and more than 2,000 locations set monthly heat records in March.
“Climate Change is Kicking Our Butts”
Meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections remarked, “All those broken records tell us that climate change is kicking our butts.” He also noted the record dryness from January to March exacerbating issues like water availability and agricultural stress.
Both NOAA and the European climate service Copernicus anticipate a “super” strong El Niño forming soon, predicted to elevate global temperatures and possibly surpass the hottest year on record by 2024. El Niño, a cyclic warming of parts of the central Pacific, impacts weather patterns worldwide. Typically, a moderate El Niño occurs at 1 degree Celsius above normal, but forecasts suggest this one could exceed 2 degrees Celsius, rivaling the 2015-2016 records.
Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University, explained that an El Niño releases heat from the upper ocean into the atmosphere, increasing global temperatures with a delay. “A strong El Niño could plausibly push global temperatures to new record levels in late 2026 and into 2027,” he stated.
Research suggests that global warming from fossil fuel combustion might be intensifying El Niños, though consensus among climate scientists is still forming. Jonathan Overpeck from the University of Michigan noted, “Global warming is supercharging El Niños and the atmospheric warming they drive.”
El Niños typically reduce hurricane activity in the Atlantic while increasing it in the Pacific and may help alleviate the southwestern drought, according to Masters.
Original Story at www.cbsnews.com