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)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A rare winter heat wave is sweeping across the U.S. West, bringing unusually high temperatures and threatening records from California to the desert Southwest. In San Francisco, where fog and cool summers are the norm, residents shed layers and flocked to Crissy Field as the city experiences its hottest March in at least two decades
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A jogger runs past as a man sunbathes at Crissy Field in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A sign warns hikers of trail closures due to extreme heat at Camelback Mountain on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble)
Mike Lillelund carries his belongings as he walks along a road as a record-breaking winter heat wave continues across the Southwest, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Thermal, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A City of Tempe Parks and Recreation Department groundskeeper manicures grass as the sun rises at Tempe Town Lake on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble)
People buy ice cream treats from a paletero at Crissy Field East Beach in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
People lounge in the sand at Crissy Field East Beach backdropped by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Enrique Martinez carries his 11-year-old dog Pepe so it doesn't have to walk on the hot sand at Crissy Field in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
People visit Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Carol Hather wears sun protective gear as she walks at Crissy Field in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
People and dogs walk in a large puddle at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Heat waves from the road rise as people walk along The Great Highway in San Francisco, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A woman packs up after resting in a shaded area alongside the Salton Sea as a record-breaking winter heat wave continues across the Southwest, Thursday, March 19, 2026, near North Shore, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Two women sit in the shade under a tree while visiting Shoreline Park in Mountain View, Calif., Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
