Jeff Berardelli

Although this is hard to verify 100%, best I can tell we unofficially beat a US March record for the most intense Heat Dome (known in meteorology as a 500mb ridge) at 5,980 meters as initialized in the Rapid Refresh Model and Canadian RDPS models today. Looking at ERA-5 data the former record is just shy of 5800 meters in South Florida in 2004. I checked the historical sounding there and the highest March height is 5797 meters. In simple terms the 500mb height is how far up into the atmosphere you need to climb to reach a pressure of 500mb. It’s higher when it’s hot because hot air expands.

105° in #Phoenix today has a return interval of ~4,000 + years in March based on the historical record. It’s plotted against the highest March temp in each year back to 1896. The gray dot right under it is yesterday, otherwise the 105° would look even more errant. Obviously though this type of rogue heat is much more likely now-a-days due to climate change. #heatwave

Breaking: New US March monthly heat record at Martinez Lake, AZ at 110° #heatwave

@xsuzi00 Not soon

@WeatherProf Will Florida get rain?

As big as this heat dome is, it will be expanding in size! Over the next week the heat dome will spread east into the plains with monthly records expected… and eventually East Coast, but much weaker there. Two things: the size expansion will dampen the intensity. BUT next week the center of the heat dome will rebuild and intensify over the SW, so it’s not really going anywhere. Pictured here are all major cities hitting records in the next 6 days. #heatwave

At least 128 new March Monthly records set today and counting! Never seen a #heatwave like it! Amazing.

Phoenix reaches 105 today. Easily beating thier all-time March and tie for April. Notice how the 105 in April was April 29th...

@weatherdak @CNN Amazing!! Big Congrats!!

Ok! I am absolutely thrilled to announce I've joined @CNN as a digital meteorologist. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to help the team accomplish some cool stuff!

The signal for a robust El Niño for the peak of Atlantic #hurricane season (Aug-Oct) continues to grow. El Niño typically reduces Atlantic hurricane activity via increases in vertical wind shear. We'll have lots more to say with CSU's initial 2026 hurricane forecast on 9 April

@JosephStal8920 I do know. @Ginger_Zee reported on it.

@WeatherProf Do you know Alaska is 35 degrees F below zero and crickets. Of course this is irrelevant. Lol, you people are laughing stocks. And deduct 10 degrees for whatever temperature you report and then you have reality.

March Meltdown: Here are the records expected today. Yesterday 108 in SoCal tied the US record, today we expect ~111! #heatwave

We should max out at 597.x later today or tonight

107 in #Phoenix today would beat the monthly record by 7 degrees. The odds of that happening on any given March is roughly 1-in-8500!! Now this is based on the entire period of record. It is of course much more likely today due to climate change. #heatwave

@FordPrefect747 Thank you!

@WeatherProf Great post, and welll done! Fascinating stuff. Thank you! 👍👍

From the US’s most Staggering Spring Heatwave ever - to a subtropical looking Alaskan snow storm - to a pseudo Mediterranean hurricane 🌀 (Medicane) this forecast has all the crazy weather! #heatwave #medicane #snow

@neipate96 Libya

@WeatherProf where’s the medicane?

@stormbruiser It’s a good point. I don’t know that area. NOAA listed it as the US high today…wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hp…

@WeatherProf Ugh---that 108F max temp is from the Dos Palmas RAWS station, northeast of Salton. Subtract two or three degrees for a much more reasonable max temperature. The radiation shields at these RAWS stations are poor and are not aspirated. Temps go too high on sunny days!

US March record Tied today at 108°F 4 miles from North Shore, California today. Hotter tomorrow. Maybe 111 in SoCal.