California community ties all-time March temperature record in the US

A tiny desert community in Southern California has tied the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S. The 108 degree day in North Shore, California, came amid a record-breaking winter heat wave in the Southwest that will stretch into the week...

NORTH SHORE, Calif. -- A tiny desert community in Southern California reached 108 degrees on Wednesday, tying the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.

It came amid a record-breaking winter heat wave in the Southwest that will stretch into the weekend and could produce even higher temperatures.

The record — first reached by Rio Grande City, Texas in 1954 and now shared by North Shore, California — could be broken in a number of cities and towns by week's end. The aptly named Thermal, California, was forecast to hit 110 degrees on Friday.

Triple-digit temperatures also came earlier than ever before in Phoenix when the Arizona capital hit 101 degrees Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was set almost 40 years ago, on March 26, 1988, the only other time Phoenix temperatures have climbed into the hundreds during the month of March, according to the NWS.

Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the NWS, said this has been one of the most significant March heatwaves in recorded history.