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Story summary
- An extreme heat wave is gripping the western United States, with March temperatures 20 to 40 degrees above average.
- Phoenix reached 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Palm Springs reached 105 degrees.
- Meteorologists say the heat wave is intensified by climate change and raises health risks for vulnerable populations, with over 140 cities expected to break March records in California, Nevada, and Arizona, and it will likely worsen wildfires and cause early snowmelt.