San Antonio, a small mining town about 45 minutes south of La Paz, recorded 40°C (104°F) on the first day of spring, making it the hottest spot in Baja California Sur over the previous 24 hours. La Paz hit 38.2°C (100.8°F), while Los Planes and Santiago each reached 38°C (100.4°F). Mulegé and Los Barriles both logged 37°C (98.6°F). Every weather station across the state recorded zero rainfall.
Clear Skies and Anticyclonic Circulation Drive the Heat
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional) attributed the extreme heat to anticyclonic circulation over northwestern Mexico. That high-pressure system traps hot, dry air over the peninsula and blocks cloud formation. The agency classified conditions across Baja California Sur as “hot to very hot” and warned that highs of 40°C to 45°C (104°F to 113°F) are expected in the coming days.
Clear skies dominated the entire state on the spring equinox. No station reported even trace precipitation, consistent with the region’s driest season. La Paz averages just 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) of rain per year, and almost none falls between March and June.
Temperatures Unusually High for Late March
While summer temperatures in Baja California Sur’s interior regularly reach 40°C, those readings typically arrive in June or July. Hitting that threshold on March 20 is early. Spring daytime highs in La Paz more commonly range from 30°C to 35°C (86°F to 95°F) in late March and April, based on historical climate data for the region.
The heat was concentrated along the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula, where towns like Los Barriles (a popular East Cape destination about 65 kilometers south of La Paz) and Mulegé (roughly 480 kilometers north of La Paz on the Transpeninsular Highway) also posted readings near 37°C. Santiago, located in the Sierra de la Laguna foothills between La Paz and San José del Cabo, matched Los Planes at 38°C.
The National Meteorological Service expects the anticyclonic pattern to persist through the week, with no rain in the forecast for Baja California Sur. Temperatures could climb as high as 45°C (113°F) in interior valleys, according to BCS Noticias.