Significant early April warmup in the West to exacerbate ongoing drought
Following a break from record-smashing heat, warmer weather will return across the West, complicating drought and fire mitigation in the region.
The Springs Fire grew to more than 3,000 acres in the span of just a few hours on April 3.
After an exceptionally toasty March, a surge of warmth in the West into the first full week of April will again challenge records in many areas, say AccuWeather meteorologists.
While the warmup will not rival last month's in terms of both severity and length, it will act to make drought conditions plaguing the region worse. Fortunately, for those starved for moisture, including firefighters battling wildfires in the region, some storminess will return later in the week as the weather pattern changes again.
Rubin Pantaleon stays in the shade while waiting for work washing car windshields as a record-breaking winter heat wave continues across the Southwest, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Thermal, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
"An area of high pressure will build back into the western United States through early this week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Kai Kerkow. "This will bring a return to warm weather, especially across California, with some record highs even being challenged."
Typically, temperatures in early April reach the 60s along the California coast and 70s in the inland valleys, but the mercury will top out in the 80s, even near the coast in places such as San Francisco, while Los Angeles and the Central Valley can approach 90, which is near-record territory.
Phoenix is also slated to challenge records in the 90s, while Salt Lake City will climb into the lower 70s by early week, some 10-15 degrees above the historical average.
The warmth will not be limited to just the Southwest and Intermountain West, but will expand into the Pacific Northwest, too, as Portland, Oregon, and Seattle will trade recent highs in the 40s and 50s for near-record readings in the 70s.
A dome of high pressure setting up across the West will deliver the heat and also put a lid on chances for precipitation for several days. This is bad news for agricultural interests in the region, especially in the wake of a parched few months.
"A historically warm winter across California has led to a very low snowpack across the state, with the current snowpack at just 18% of the historical average for early April," said Kerkow. "This warm spell will continue to melt the already low snowpack across the state."
Despite the low snowpack, much of the Golden State is free of drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update, released on Thursday.
"Fortunately for California’s water supply, a series of atmospheric rivers earlier this winter brought an abundance of rain to the region, and most of the state’s reservoirs are currently at or above capacity," added Kerkow. "However, with less water to melt into the reservoirs later in the summer, there are still concerns for the availability of water in the future, especially if dry weather continues."
Recent dry and windy conditions led to a pair of fires in Southern California, which sparked evacuations on Friday. As of Saturday afternoon, the Springs Fire near Moreno Valley had burned over 4,100 acres and was only 45% contained, while a smaller blaze dubbed the Crown Fire burned through about 350 acres near Acton, according to CalFire.
This image from video by ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego shows a smoke covered landscape as the Springs Fire advances near Moreno Valley, Calif. on Friday, April 3, 2026. (ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego via AP)
Ongoing dry and breezy conditions will make containing the fires an uphill battle for firefighters through the early week, with smoke also expected to impact air quality in nearby communities.
Elsewhere in the West, drought is rampant, with the worst of the conditions reported in Colorado, with nearly a quarter of the state in "exceptional" drought conditions, the worst of the Monitor's five categories.
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This current warm spell will not last long for most.
"The heat will gradually begin to subside for most areas outside of the deserts on Monday and Tuesday," pointed out Kerkow. "Meanwhile, the deserts will have to wait until around Thursday to see relief."
Accompanying the drop in temperature mid- to late week will also be an uptick in precipitation chances.
Rain showers are forecast to return to Northern California by Wednesday night and expand into Southern California and the interior West and Southwest by Thursday and Friday.
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