Record temperatures have been recorded across the Southwest since Thursday, with dozens of cities setting new highs in Texas, Arizona, California, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The hottest winter day ever was set in Falcon Dam on Thursday at 106 degrees.
Multiple cities in the Southwest have seen record high temperatures this week, as the Midwest and Northeast buckle down for snow leading into the first week of March.
At least 20 new record highs were set across California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Friday.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, high temperatures will remain 15 to 25 degrees above average this weekend.
RARE SPLIT IN POLAR VORTEX TO USHER IN WARM WEATHER ACROSS WINTER-WEARY EASTERN US NEAR BEGINNING OF MARCH
Visitors are seen at Alamo Square Park on an unseasonably warm winter day in San Francisco, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.
(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)
Through Sunday, more than 60 daily record highs could be set.
The West has been no stranger to record warmth this winter. More than 140 locations have recorded their warmest winter on record, while more 290 cities have experienced one of their top 10 warmest winters, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Additionally, a new national record was set in Falcon Dam, Texas, on Thursday at 106 degrees. It’s now the hottest winter day ever.
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(FOX Weather)
The extreme warmth is expected to continue through the weekend for the West and Southwest, while the winter-weary Eastern U.S. readies for more rounds of snow and ice.
Texas
Texas has seen record heat since Thursday, when some cities saw their first 100 degrees day in 2026.
Temperatures in Laredo on Thursday topped out at 103, marking the city’s hottest February day.
High temperatures continued Friday.
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(FOX Weather)
Cities like Waco and Corsicana broke previous February record highs on Friday.
Waco recorded a high of 86 degrees, breaking its previous record of 84 set in 1918, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Denton tied its record high temp of 81 degrees set in 2007.
Arizona
Arizona is also seeing record-breaking heat this week, with multiple new record highs and several records tied.
Yuma saw its warmest February day ever at 96 degrees on Friday, breaking the record of 95 set in 1986.
Phoenix’s daily and monthly records were tied at 92 degrees.
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The FOX Forecast Center said Phoenix could tie or break its record highs again on Saturday.
In total, Phoenix has only recorded 90-degree temperatures nine times in February, including Friday, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
California
Record high temperatures were recorded across southern California on Friday, with multiple cities breaking daily or monthly highs.
San Diego set a daily record of 85, breaking the previous record by 1 degree set in 2020.
Downtown Los Angeles recorded 91 degrees on Friday, marking the first 90-degree February day in 10 years, and breaking the previous record high of 88 set in 2025.
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In Riverside, on Friday, high temperatures reached 93, breaking a record of 87 set in 1972, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego.
El Centro tied both its daily and monthly records at 96 degrees on Friday.
Midwest and Northeast prepped for snow and ice
Millions of people across 25 states in the winter-weary Midwest and Northeast face three different winter storms that are set to bring more snow and dangerous ice starting this weekend.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, snow will break out along the leading edge of cold air early Saturday across Montana and the Dakotas, before spreading to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes by Saturday evening.
THREE ROUNDS OF WINTER STORMS KICK OFF THIS WEEKEND, TARGETING MILLIONS IN MIDWEST, NORTHEAST WITH SNOW, ICE
(FOX Weather)
The cold air and snow will then reach the interior Northeast early Sunday morning, with the most snow expected in cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Albany, New York and Manchester, New Hampshire.
