Heat risk ramps up as forecasters discuss abnormality of early-season heat wave

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley is bracing to feel summer heat in the middle of March.

It comes as forecasters warned of temperatures in the ballpark of 20 to 30 degrees above seasonal averages, with records expected to be shattered as peak heat arrives on Thursday and Friday near 110° throughout the low desert.

The Coachella Valley is expected to see major HeatRisk – a metric used by the National Weather Service to determine how heat will impact human populations within a given area.

The National Weather Service posted this graphic, seen below. It illustrates the chances for Palm Springs to break its March high temperature record, currently set at 104° – nearly certain Wednesday through Friday.

Sebastian Westerink, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's San Diego Office, said this heat wave will be historic.

"I understand these are temperatures that are pretty typical for the Coachella Valley in the summer months, but we are not in summer," he said. "We are currently in March. And so just to put it in perspective, this is very anomalous for this time of year."

Westerink pulled several pieces of historical data for the Coachella Valley. The NWS has never issued an Extreme Heat Warning (formerly known as Excessive Heat Warnings) as early as March in the roughly 20 years it has issued those advisories with its current criteria.

The earliest it was issued for the Coachella Valley previously: April 24, 2020.

"This extreme heat warning now would supersede that by around a little bit over a month in terms of the earliest that we've ever issued one for the Coachella Valley," Westerink explained.

News Channel 3 will have more details about the anomalous nature of this heat wave and how officials measure the risk the heat poses to human populations. Stay with us for our full report tonight.