MON SIX

The scorching heat wave, which began last week and brought dangerous temperatures to parts of California, Arizona, and other Southwestern states, is expected toexpand east into the central United Statesin the coming days, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned that record temperatures will continue over the next several days.

The unprecedented early heat wave was the result of a high-pressure system spinning across the West, causing "an expansive dome of unusually hot temperatures," the weather service said. Based on preliminary data, the agency said more than 150 daily high-temperature marks and about 50 March records have already been broken since March 17.

Most areas from the Southwest into the Great Plains will see temperatures that are 25 to 35 degrees "higher than normal for this time of year," according to the weather service. Some areas in the central Plains were expected to see temperatures that are over 40 degrees above average over the weekend, and overnight low temperatures were also forecast to be "well above average, providing little relief from the heat."

The highest odds for above-normal temperatures, including potential extreme heat episodes, are for the interior West, the central and southern Rockies, the Southwest, and the central and southern Plains, Jon Gottschalck, the chief of the operational prediction branch at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center,told USA TODAY.

"The early time of year, prolonged nature of this heat wave, and limited seasonal acclimation will increase the risk of heat impacts, especially among sensitive populations or those without effective cooling," the weather service said. "Adjust plans to limit strenuous outdoor activities to early morning hours, drink plenty of fluids, and seek air-conditioned spaces."

NOAA forecast:New spring 2026 forecasts warn of the dreaded 'heat dome'

Hot temperatures in Arizona sends dozens to hospital for heat-related illnesses

Dangerously hot temperatures continued in the Phoenix area over the weekend, and by late afternoon on March 21, temperatures reached 106 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to the weather service. The 70-degree low recorded that morning broke the previous warm-low mark of 67 degrees set in 2004 and marked the earliest 70-degree low on record, the weather service said.

The high temperatures caused first responders to help more than 400 people attending the Luke Days Air Show in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, with heat-related issues, according toABC15 ArizonaandAZ Family. The biannual two-day show is apopular eventat the Luke Air Force Base in Glendale.

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TheArizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that about 30 people were taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses during the air show. Others with heat-related symptoms were treated on scene, said Glendale Fire Department spokesperson John J.P. Chester.

"With large outdoor events and elevated temperatures, we strongly encourage attendees to stay ahead of hydration, take breaks in shaded or cooled areas, and recognize early signs of heat illness," Chester advised, according to the Arizona Republic.

Those most at risk to the heat included people over 60 years old, under 12 years old, or those pregnant, diabetic, having a heart condition. or any pre-existing medical condition, according to the air base.

"If they're in those categories, please have a good plan, whether that's just don't show up or plan around a couple key events you want to show up for, stay for a couple hours, and by all means, stay hydrated. Find shade," Brig. Gen. David J. Berkland said in avideoposted on the air base's Facebook page. "When you start to not feel right, it's time to go home. We had a lot of people try to tough it out today. Those are a lot of where our issues showed up."

Western US heat wave:This town just recorded the hottest March temperature in US history

How to stay safe during the heat wave

Extreme heat is dangerous and kills more people than any other weather-related event, according to the American Red Cross. Heat dangers include sun exposure that could damage skin, an increase in sweating that can dehydrate the body, and other heat-related illnesses such asheat exhaustionandheatstroke.

Here are tips to stay safe during extreme heat:

• Use sunblock or sunscreen and reapply it regularly.

• Dress appropriately for the heat: Choose loose-fitting, light-colored, and lightweight clothes, the weather service advises.

• Do not leave children or pets in vehicles: Temperatures in cars can quickly become deadly — even if the temperature outside is not hot.

• Check the weather. Look at weather apps and listen to forecasters for information about the UV index, heat warnings, and the feels-like temperature. Heat.gov has additional information about the forecast and heat risk.

• Bring water and stay hydrated: Carry multiple bottles of water if you are spending extended time in the sun.

• Find shade and air conditioning: Minimize the risk of heat dangers by staying cool and avoiding direct sun exposure.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, Jeanine Santucci, and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY; Jose R. Gonzalez, Hannah Dreyfus, and Julie Mendes, Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Dozens treated for heat illnesses at Arizona airshow amid heat wave

The grid collapsed the evening of March 21 at 6:32 p.m. local time after a major power plant in Nuevitas, a municipality in the island's eastern province of Camagüey, failed and went offline, setting off a domino effect of power loss for the rest of the nation, the national power operator UNEsaid on social media.

The operator added that the island has set up microsystems of smaller, closed circuits throughout the provinces to route and ensure power for vital services such as hospitals, blood banks, water supply and food distribution.

A hotel remains lit by its own system during a blackout in Havana on March 16, 2026, after Cuba suffered a widespread power cut according to the national electricity company, against the backdrop of a severe crisis on the island caused by the US energy blockade.

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Millions without power after Cuba's electric grid fails

A hotel remains lit by its own system during a blackout inHavanaon March 16, 2026, after Cuba suffered a widespread power cut according to the national electricity company, against the backdrop of a severe crisis on the island caused by the US energy blockade.

Power has been slowly restored to other parts of the island outside the microsystems, including at two gas-fired power plants in Varadero and Boca de Jarucom, and an oil-fired plant in Santa Cruz. The island also fired up a boiler at the country's largest power plant, according to a recent social media update fromCuba's energy ministry.

The latest power outage comes as Cuba faces hardship, including multiple power outages, protests, and a lack of oil as a result of a U.S. blockade that has worsened the island's already outdated generation system.Cuba's national electric gridcollapsed on March 16, the second time in a month that has seen a series of outages, including one sparking a rare violent protest in the communist-run country.

Those issues are exacerbated by what critics describe as an effective oil blockade in recent months. The United States cut off the flow of Venezuelan oil to Cuba following the capture in January ofVenezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Cuba's regime, and threatened to impose tariffs on any country supplying it with fuel, contributing to shortages that have disrupted air travel, ground transportation and other essential services across Cuba.

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What is happening in Cuba?Economic struggles, US tensions explained

'Honor of taking Cuba'

Meanwhile, theTrump administrationin January declared a national emergency over Cuba, calling the country "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security.

PresidentDonald Trumphas set his sights on Cuba in recent weeks and suggested on March 17 that the United States would be doing "something with Cuba" very soon, even as the nations are said to be in talks aimed atdefusing the crisis. Earlier in March, Trump said he believes he'll have "the honor of taking Cuba" and claimed he could "do anything [he wants]" with the country.

Both the United States and Cuba have confirmed they are in talks, with Cuba's top diplomat in Washington telling USA TODAYin an exclusive interviewon March 13 that Havana was engaged in "serious" and "sensitive" negotiations with the U.S. government. Neither side has provided details of the ongoing negotiations, though Trump has portrayed Cuba as desperate to make a deal.

Mass blackouts have occurred in Cuba before,including in 2024, and are often attributed to the country's outdated generation system, which depends on agingthermal power plants. The system uses about100,000 barrels of oila day for essential services.

Contributing: Reuters

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Cuba begins recovery efforts after second grid collapse in a week

NEED TO KNOW

• NASA confirmed the 3-foot meteor fragment weighed about a ton and traveled at 35,000 mph before breaking apart

• Witnesses reported hearing an explosion and a flash of light from the meteorite in the Houston area on Saturday

A Houston resident was left stunned after a meteorite crashed through the roof of her home.

Sherrie James was shocked to discover that a heavy rock had crashed through the roof and two stories of her home in northwest Harris County on Saturday, March 21, after seemingly falling from the sky,Fox 26 Houstonreported.

The crash occurred after reports of a sound like an "explosion" and sightings of "a possible meteor" near Highway 50 at Wiedeville Road and surrounding areas, the Brenham Fire Department (BFD)wroteon Facebook.

"[When] I saw the rock … the first thing that came to my mind was, it's a meteor," James told Fox 26 Houston. "It's very heavy and it doesn't look like cement or like a normal rock, but it's just the weight of it — you can tell it's something different."

Ponderosa Fire Chief Fred Windisch said that a rock that "appears to be a meteorite" crashed through James' house and landed in the kitchen, per Fox 26 Houston.

The Ponderosa Fire Department confirmed to PEOPLE that a piece of what appeared to be a meteorite crashed through James' home, adding that the "explosion" sound was most likely "the sound barrier shock wave."

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NASA confirmed that a 3-foot meteor fragment hit northwestern Houston on Saturday.

"Eyewitnesses in Texas observed a bright fireball today, March 21, at 4:40 p.m. CDT. Current data indicates that the meteor became visible at 49 miles above Stagecoach," NASAwrote on X. "It moved southeast at 35,000 mph, breaking apart 29 miles above Bammel, just west of Cypress Station."

The meteorite, which weighed an estimated ton, "created a pressure wave that caused booms heard by some in the area," NASA explained. Meteorites were also produced between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing in Texas.

The BFD responded to reports on Saturday from several witnesses of an "explosion" and the meteor sighting, saying they "saw a green flash fall from the sky, black smoke,\ and heard a loud boom." They found no evidence of an explosion.

In footage released byKHOU, captured by a witness driving in Southeast Texas on Saturday, an object can be seen from the driver's dashboard falling from the sky and bursting into flash of light.

"I saw a hole in the ceiling, the impact on the floor, and so it had to be coming down with force to come through the roof," James told Fox 26 Houston.

James said that she called the Ponderosa Fire Department, who initially told her they thought the rock was something that "fell off a plane." They later told her that the rock was most likely a fragment from a meteor that "exploded" over northern Houston.

Read the original article onPeople

Valspar Golf

Fitzpatrick managed to play bogey-free on a sunbaked Copperhead course at Innisbrook that ruined the hopes of so many others, from Sungjae Im to Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker.

Fitzpatrick holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 15th to take the lead, only for Lipsky — playing in the group behind him — to make a 7-foot birdie on the 14th to catch him.

Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship to close out the European tour season last November, had the final say. His birdie putt was pure and the 2022 U.S. Open champion was emphatic thrusting his fist down to celebrate.

The victory, his third on the PGA Tour to go along with nine European tour titles, came one week after Fitzpatrick felt he did everything right only to see Cameron Young beat him on the final hole of The Players Championship.

Fitzpatrick finished at 11-under 273 on a Copperhead course that was a stern test.

LIV Golf League

MIDRAND, South Africa (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau won for the second straight week by saving par on the final hole for a 6-under 65 and hitting 3-wood from a wet lie in the rough to set up birdie in a playoff to beat Jon Rahm in LIV Golf South Africa.

DeChambeau's final start before the Masters brought out some of his best work in winning his fifth overall LIV title. He won last week in Singapore.

DeChambeau had to get up-and-down for par on the closing hole to finish on 26-under 258 and force a playoff with Rahm (63). The par also gave Crushers the team time over South African-based Southern Guard.

Returning to the par-5 18th, DeChambeau pulled his drive into the mud and muck left of the fairway on the rain-soaked course. He hit 3-wood to 12 feet. Rahm went into a bunker and failed to make birdie, leaving DeChambeau two putts for the win.

European tour

HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Jordan Gumberg got up-and-down for par on the final hole for a 2-under 70 to hold off Jorge Campillo of Spain and win the Hainan Classic.

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It was the second European tour title for the 30-year-old American. Gumberg was on the verge of losing his European tour card when he holed out for eagle on the final hole of the Genesis Championship, which enabled him to move into the top 115 and keep his card for 2026.

Campillo closed with a 71 and had birdie chances on the final three holes to catch Gumberg, all of them narrowly missing.

Zhou Yanhan, the 17-year-old from China who played the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour two weeks ago, closed with a 69 to tie for third with Adrian Otaegui of Spain (64) and Marcus Armitage of England (69).

PGA Tour Champions

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Alker won the Cologuard Classic with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff for the second straight year, beating Padraig Harrington with a 4-footer in mid-90 degree heat.

Last year at La Paloma, Alker beat Long Island club pro Jason Caron with a 12-foot putt on the first extra hole.

Alker won for the 11th time in 100 career starts on the PGA Tour Champions. The 54-year-old New Zealander was nine strokes back after opening with an even-par 71, then shot a 62 on Saturday to pull within two.

Alker closed with a 65 to post at 15-under 198. Harrington, playing behind Alker in the final group, hit his approach long and bogeyed the par-4 18th — missing a 10-foot comebacker.

Zach Johnson closed with a 67 to tie for third at 13 under in his second start on the 50-and-over tour. He won two weeks ago in Florida in his senior debut.

Other tours

Hannah Green won her third consecutive tournament and made it a major double in her native Australian by closed with a 2-under 69 for a four-shot victory in the Australia WPGA Championship. This comes a week after Green won the Australian Women's Open. Her winning streak started by capturing the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore. ... Maddie McCrary won the Orlando Health Championship at Grasslands in Lakeland, Florida, for her first Epson Tour title. She had a bogey-free week, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Mariel Galdiano. ... M.J. Daffue of South Africa closed with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Jhared Hack in the DP World PGTI Open on the Challenge Tour. ... Ritsuko Ryu closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory in the V Point SMBC Ladies on the Japan LPGA.

AP golf:https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Brooks has been ruled out for the No. 7 Wolfpack's second-round matchup with No. 2 Michigan on the Wolverines' home floor in Ann Arbor. The junior suffered a foot injury in the Wolfpack's first-round win over Tennessee. She played just 17 minutes, scoring eight points.

Brooks is NC State's second leading scorer this season at 16.1 points per game and leads the Wolfpack in assists with 4.3. She also averages 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. NC State is 3-0 this season when she scores 25 or more points.

NC State coach Wes Moore said Brooks didn't practice on Saturday and was wearing a walking boot.

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"Obviously, the first priority is going to be her health and making sure she's not at risk as far as her future goes," Moore said. "I've got a lot of confidence in (freshman guard Ky'She Lunan) and I think the other players do as well. That helps. Still not the same as having Zoe out there, a junior with her experience and all that she's done, but either way we'll be ready to play."

The Wolfpack will likely have to lean heavily on Zam Jones for scoring. The sophomore guard scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Tennessee. Junior forward Khamil Pierre is also averaging 16.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game this season.

NC State hasn't played Michigan since 2018, when the Wolfpack and Wolverines faced off in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

A win for NC State would mark its seventh trip to the Sweet 16 in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NC State's Zoe Brooks out vs. Michigan in NCAA Tournament with injury

McNamara, 42, has been the head coach at Siena the last two seasons, guiding the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this season after winning the MAAC conference tournament. As a No. 16 seed, Siena gave top-seeded Duke a scare in the first round on Thursday before losing 71-65.

Before taking over at Siena, McNamara served as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry for 15 seasons.

Per the report, McNamara has had multiple discussions -- virtually and in person -- with Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair over the past week.

During the process, school officials reportedly emphasized a commitment to being among the top third of ACC schools in terms of NIL.

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Along with helping Syracuse win the national title during his freshman year alongside Carmelo Anthony, McNamara holds the program records for 3-pointers (400), 3-point attempts (1,131), free-throw percentage (88.8%) and minutes played (4,799). An All-Big East honoree three times, he started all 135 games of his career from 2002-06 and had his No. 3 jersey retired in 2023.

McNamara returned to his alma mater in 2009 as a graduate assistant, then was elevated to an assistant in 2011 under Boeheim. He received another promotion, to associate head coach, when Autry was named Boeheim's successor in 2023.

McNamara left for Siena in 2024, posting a 37-30 record in two seasons. Before this spring, the Saints had not made the NCAA Tournament since 2010.

Autry, also a former star player at Syracuse, was fired earlier this month after the Orange missed out on the NCAA Tournament in his three seasons at the helm.

Syracuse did not qualify for each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, which represents the school's longest dry spell since 1967-72. From 1973 to 2021, the Orange participated in 39 of the 48 tournaments.

--Field Level Media

NEED TO KNOW

• The actor also shared two key pieces of advice, one of which is to "never trust anyone who says you should 'act your age' "

• Shatner is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise

William Shatneris celebrating a milestone birthday.

The Canadian actor joked that he's "still smokin" in anInstagrampost on Sunday, March 22, as he turned 95.

Shatner shared a collage of two photos, one showing the actor smiling at the camera and the other showing him enjoying a cigar.

"At 95, I'm still smokin'! 😝," theStar Trekstar captioned the post.

Shatner also shared some key advice he has learned over his lifetime. "I've learned two things: Never waste a good cigar. Never trust anyone who says you should 'act your age.' 😉👍🏻," he wrote.

Shatner is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk intheStar Trekfranchise. He first played the character in 1966'sStar Trek: The Original Seriesand went on to reprise the role in several movies, concluding with 1994'sStar Trek Generations.

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Over his decades-spanning career, he also notably appeared in the showsT. J. HookerandBoston Legal, as well as the comedy movieMiss Congeniality, among others.

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Shatner, whoshares three adult daughterswith his first wife, Gloria Rand, said in November 2025 that he was feeling "blessed beyond measure with [health], family and a beautiful gathering."

Last year, the Emmy winner opened up about his heartfelt birthday tradition in anexclusive interview with PEOPLE.

"For the last many years, I have celebrated my birthday by working on a very successful charity calledThe Hollywood Charity Horse Show. We have been doing it for 35 years and raised millions of dollars for children and veterans," he said ahead of his 94th birthday.

Shatner continued to detail how he was going to celebrate his special day with his family in Las Vegas, saying, "It's going to be a family experience in that wonderful, entertaining city. I'm really looking forward to it."

Read the original article onPeople