Monthly Attribution Overview – March 2026

In March 2026, the United States experienced unprecedented warmth with an average temperature anomaly of 5.8°F across 192 cities. The Southwest was the warmest region, with temperatures more than 10.4°F above normal, and Phoenix recorded the highest individual city anomaly at 12.5°F. Long-term trends show that 188 of the 192 analyzed cities have warmed since 1970, with Wheeling, West Virginia, seeing the greatest increase of 11.7°F. Climate attribution analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates that in Flagstaff, Arizona, temperatures on 28 days in March were made at least two times more likely due to climate change.

• The United States experienced unprecedented temperatures in March 2026, with an average anomaly of 5.8°F across 192 analyzed cities. While 188 cities were warmer than average, only four were cooler. Thirty-three cities recorded their hottest March on record, and 80 cities saw one of their top five warmest March temperatures.
• Regional analysis shows the Southwest was the warmest area, with average temperatures exceeding normal by more than 10.4°F. Phoenix, Arizona, was the most unusually warm city with a 12.5°F anomaly. Conversely, the Northwest was the most unusually cold region, with average anomalies of -1.8°F.
• Long-term data indicates that 188 of the 192 analyzed cities have warmed on average since 1970. Wheeling, West Virginia, showed the most significant increase, with average March temperatures rising by 11.7°F since 1970.
• Climate attribution using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) showed elevated values in eight of nine U.S. Climate Regions. In Flagstaff, Arizona, 28 days in March reached CSI level 2 or higher, meaning temperatures on those days were at least twice as likely to occur because of climate change. On average, Southwest cities had the highest number of CSI 2+ days at 25.

APA

Climate Central (2026). Monthly Attribution Overview – March 2026. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/monthly-attribution-overview-march-2026

Chicago

Climate Central. Monthly Attribution Overview – March 2026. 2026. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/monthly-attribution-overview-march-2026.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Monthly Attribution Overview – March 2026 |date=2 April 2026 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/report/monthly-attribution-overview-march-2026 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2026monthly, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Monthly Attribution Overview – March 2026}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/report/monthly-attribution-overview-march-2026}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }