Record-high temperatures possible in 17 states as heat wave expands
Seventeen states could break daily temperature records on Wednesday, as the heat wave that has been scorching the West expands into the central U.S.
Updated on: March 25, 2026 / 11:20 PM EDT / CBS News
Temperatures reached record highs in multiple states on Wednesday, as a heat wave that has been scorching the West since last week expanded into the middle of the country.
The unusually warm weather tied or broke records across the western half of the U.S. over the course of the day, according to the National Weather Service, and warmer temperatures are expected to continue in the coming days as the wave moves east.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming were among the states impacted, with temperatures hitting 90 degrees and higher in major cities throughout the region.
Denver saw its hottest March day on record, hitting 88 degrees at Denver International Airport. The previous record was 86 degrees, set just four days earlier, on March 21.
Phoenix was among the cities to see the most extreme conditions, after weathering triple-digit temperatures on multiple days already since the heat wave began, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Digital Forecast Database . The Arizona capital hit a high of 100 degrees Wednesday, a daily record, the National Weather Service confirmed . The city's last record-high temperature for this date was set in 2022.