If you thought it has been unusually warm this winter, you're right. Much of the Mountain West has seen record-breaking heat since December — a trend that's expected to continue into spring.
Winter doesn't officially end until March 20, but this season's heat has been so extreme that federal scientists are already calling it a record-breaker. It ranks as the nation's second warmest winter in 131 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In the Mountain West, the administration categorized large portions of Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico as "much above average" in February. Additionally, pockets in several of those states were considered the "warmest" ever.
Dan Berc is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the Las Vegas National Weather Service. He said high temperatures will persist through the end of the winter.
"We'll be above normal in Denver and Boise. Down here in the desert southwest, in Las Vegas and Phoenix, we're going to be seeing historic levels of heat next week," Berc said.
Temperatures in parts of the southwest are predicted to hover around 100 degrees — and Berc believes this regional trend will continue.
"We're looking at extreme events to become more common. And this is one we've never really seen here in recorded history–this level of heat, this early in the season."
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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