Summerlike heat to challenge record highs across Southwest

 By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

Updated Mar. 31, 2021 7:50 AM EDT

Some residents of the West may wonder if the calendar flipped to August as opposed to April, with temperatures expected to soar to record-high levels into Easter weekend.

The jet stream has taken on a seesaw orientation across the United States, with a southward plunge in the East leading to cold, snowy weather reminiscent of February, and a northward bulge in the West bringing an early taste of summer -- and for some, an unwelcome hit to the budget with higher-than-normal early season cooling costs likely.

A broad area of high pressure will send temperatures soaring well above average through late this week, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.

The core of the warmth will be short lived along the Southern California coast, but will have much longer staying power across the interior West, where the heat could last into early next week.

"The first 90-degree Fahrenheit temperatures of the year seem likely in downtown Los Angeles," Roys said about Thursday's forecast. The temperature could come within a few degrees of the date's record high of 93 from 1985, and it will be a far cry from the city's average for April 1 of 71.

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"Parts of the Desert Southwest could top 100 degrees," Roys said.

Highs in Phoenix are expected to be in the 90s from Thursday through at least Sunday, and the thermometer could even climb close to the century mark, a level that has not been achieved in the Valley of the Sun since Oct. 16, 2020. May 2 is the average date that Phoenix records its first triple-digit temperature.

"If Phoenix does hit 100 degrees [this weekend], it will be the third-earliest arrival time for the triple digits," the local National Weather Service office stated in its forecast discussion Tuesday night. The earliest 100-degree reading occurred on March 26, 1988, with April 1, 2011, holding second place.

To put this kind of heat in perspective, Phoenix's average high for early April is around 74.

While temperatures in Las Vegas will fall short of 100 degrees during the heat wave, the history books may still be rewritten this Easter weekend. Saturday's record high of 91 and Sunday's record high of 94, both set in 1961, will be within reach, according to forecasters. The first 90-degree high in Las Vegas doesn't normally happen until April 18.

Salt Lake City residents may find themselves with a case of weather whiplash following Tuesday's high of only 43, which was 14 degrees below average. By Saturday, temperatures are forecast to be upwards of 20 degrees above normal.

"Salt Lake City will have temperatures approach 80 degrees for the first time this year," Roys said.

Saturday is likely to be the warmest day in the city, and a new daily record could be set as well. The date's high mark of 76 was also set during the stretch of warmth in 1961.

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Even across the Rockies, temperatures soaring well into the 60s and 70s will be common through Easter weekend. Billings, Montana; Casper and Cheyenne, Wyoming; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Albuquerque, New Mexico, are among the list of cities in this part of the Intermountain West that could challenge record highs on one or more days through the weekend.

"Those looking to get outdoors for the weekend will want to be sure to stay hydrated and take measures to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke, especially after weathering the cooler winter months," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said.

The warm and dry conditions will add further stress to the ongoing drought across the region. Nearly 75% of the West is contending with drought conditions ranging from moderate to exceptional, according to the United States Drought Monitor.

Outside of localized breezes, no significant wind events are forecast across the region heading into the weekend. Still, with the parched ground, warmth and continued dryness, forecasters discourage parking vehicles over dry brush and urge residents to use extra care when handling any type of outdoor flames.

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