Expand / Collapse search
☰
Extreme Heat Warning
until SUN 8:00 PM MST, Yavapai County Valleys and Basins, Grand Canyon Country, Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Northwest Plateau, Northwest Deserts, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Gila Bend, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, Northwest Valley, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Yuma County, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, East Valley, North Phoenix/Glendale, Parker Valley, Kofa, Central La Paz, Superior, Central Phoenix, Dripping Springs, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Cave Creek/New River, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, New River Mesa, Gila River Valley, Northwest Pinal County, Aguila Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, Yuma County, Buckeye/Avondale, West Pinal County, Deer Valley, Tonopah Desert

Martinez Lake, Arizona, records hottest March day in U.S. history

By
Published  March 20, 2026 4:59pm MST
Weather
FOX 10 Phoenix
National heat record set in Arizona

National heat record set in Arizona

Martinez Lake, Arizona, hit 110 degrees on March 19, breaking a national March heat record that has stood since 1954 as a heat wave sweeps the Southwest.

The Brief

    • Martinez Lake, Arizona, hit 110 degrees on Thursday, setting a new record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. during March.
    • The heat wave is breaking records across the Southwest, including in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
    • The new milestone surpasses a 72-year-old record of 108 degrees previously set in Rio Grande City, Texas, in 1954.

MARTINEZ LAKE, Ariz. - There's a new heat record for the United States, set on Thursday in southwestern Arizona.

The temperature reached 110 degrees near Martinez Lake, Arizona. That's the hottest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. during the month of March.

The heat wave is hitting the entire Southwest, setting records from Phoenix to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. But Martinez Lake takes the cake. The lake sits just north of Yuma, about 150 miles southwest of Phoenix.

Related

Arizona weather forecast: Another day of record-breaking heat expected
article

Arizona weather forecast: Another day of record-breaking heat expected

We're expecting a hot weekend for the Valley, as a heatwave continues across the region.

It's a place well versed in very hot temperatures, routinely approaching 120 degrees during the dog days of summer. But this is only the first day of spring. Heat records began falling on Wednesday and only went up from there.

What they're saying:

Residents insist it doesn't feel too bad yet, noting that the lake water, fed by the Colorado River, helps cool things down a bit.

"Ya know, it's kind of the buzz around town. But Yuma got put on the map," said Phillip Johnson, General Manager of Martinez Lake Resort. "And whether it's a good thing or a bad thing—being the hottest—I don't know. But I believe it made national news. And a lot of people don't know where we are. Yuma is just a blip on the map. So I think this will help a little bit."

If you're wondering, the previous temperature record for March was 108 degrees, set in Rio Grande City, Texas, way back in 1954.

Map of the area

The Source: Interview with Philip Johnson, General Manager of the Martinez Lake Resort and previous FOX 10 reporting.

WeatherNewsYuma County