Excessive Heat Warning Issued as 100-Degree Temperatures, Record March Highs Forecast This Week

A historic heat wave is bearing down on Arizona this week, with temperatures expected to shatter all-time March records across the region.

According to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, a powerful ridge of high pressure is building over the Southwest and will drive temperatures into the 90s by Thursday before pushing into triple digits early next week. A forecast high of 101 degrees on Tuesday would mark the earliest triple-digit day ever recorded in Phoenix, breaking the previous record of March 26, 1988.