March 2026 was the hottest month of March on record for the continental United States, with nearly 20,000 daily temperature records being broken over the course of the month, and the overall monthly average beating the previous record holder by nearly a half-degree Fahrenheit.

The average temperature for March 2026 across the lower 48 came in at a whopping 9.35°F (5.19°C) above normal, blowing past March 2012’s previous record of 8.9°F (4.9°C) by 0.45°F (0.25°C); the average maximum temperature for the month was also excessively high at 11.4°F (6.33°C) above the 20th-century average.

“What we experienced in March across the United States was unprecedented,” remarked Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with the non-profit research group Climate Central.

“One reason that’s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records, all-time records that were set and broken during that time period,” Winkley said; more than 19,800 daily temperature records were broken across the US over the course of the month, with over regional 2,000 monthly records—a category less likely to be broken than daily records—also melting under the heat. The sheer volume of records affected in March represents more set in a single month than what has been seen across entire past decades.

“But also this is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year. And the hottest winter of record,” Winkley added.

Last month also closes out the period of April 2025 to March 2026 as the continental United States’ hottest 12-month period on record. 2025 itself was the third-hottest year on record, tying with 2023 for this dubious distinction as ocean surface temperatures hit record highs, despite the formation of moderate La Niña-like conditions that kept the waters of the Pacific off of the South American coast comparatively cool.

As for the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), NOAA predicts that El Niño conditions have a greater than 90 percent chance of forming late in the year—conditions that could cause more records in 2026 and 2027 to fall—with meteorologists warning that a “super El Niño”, where sea surface temperatures surge 2°C (3.6°F) above normal, could form from the cycle.