What’s a heat dome? Here’s why so much of the US is broiling this week
FENTON, MI — Including much of the Midwest and Northeast roasting – or about to roast – during the extreme summer heat, meteorologists are talking this week about heat waves and heat domes.
Both mean it’s very hot – and people will hear these terms much more often as the world warms. What is the difference?
Here’s what you need to know:
It’s helpful to think of a heat dome as what happens in the atmosphere. A heat wave is how people on the ground are affected, said Ken Kunkel, research professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University.
When a high-pressure system develops in the upper atmosphere, it causes the air below to sink and compress. That increases the temperature in the lower atmosphere.
As warm air expands, it creates a bulging dome.
The boundaries of this week’s heat dome are not well defined, Kunkel said, but the National Weather Service has said the most extreme heat is expected in the Ohio Valley and the Northeast.
The eastern heat dome follows earlier than normal this month the southwest. Last year there were 645 heat-related deaths phoenix.
A heat wave is defined by how intense the heat is, how long it lasts and where it occurs, says Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connections.
In general, multiple days of temperatures over 90 degrees in Texas are “not a problem,” Masters said. Farther north, temperatures this week are expected to be in the mid to high 90s in the Midwest and Northeast, with heat indexes. of 100°F (38°C) or higher.
“The population is just not conditioned for that kind of heat,” he said.
The National Weather Service said some areas are likely to reach daily records, with the heat wave lasting in some places throughout the week and into the weekend.
The combination of clear skies and the higher position of the sun in the summer can result in high heat index readings, a measure of temperature combined with humidity. The humidity makes the weather feel warmer because the body cools itself by sweating and has to work harder when the air is already humid.
Temperatures will be in the mid 90s in the Detroit area, with a heat index around 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some urban areas over the next few days. The normal high temperature for this time of year in Detroit is around 80 degrees. Specifically, the normal high on June 18 is 81 F, said meteorologist Brian Cromwell.
Chicago broke a 1957 temperature record on Monday with a high of 97 degrees F (36.1 degrees C). Hot and muggy conditions will continue this week, with peak heat indexes around 38 degrees Celsius, the National Weather Service in Chicago said.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, Tuesday’s high will be around 36 degrees Celsius, but the weather service says it will feel like 40 degrees Celsius. The high heat will continue throughout the weekend.
Albany, New York, will see temperatures of 95°F (35°C) or higher Tuesday through Thursday, with a high of 97°F (36°C), with heat indexes of 100°F (38°C) or higher, so reports the weather service. predicted. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she has done so activated the National Guard to assist with any heat emergencies.
The US experienced the most heat waves last year since 1936, experts say. An Associated Press analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive heat has contributed to more than 2,300 deaths in the US, the highest number in 45 years of records.
The heat dome will affect a wide swath of the eastern half of the country, from roughly the Great Plains states to Maine.
Some locations could see the highest temperatures ever seen in a month, Masters said. a new study found that climate change is causing giant heat waves to move more slowly and affect more people for longer periods of time higher temperatures over larger areas.
Almost 77 million People in the United States received warnings of extreme heat on Tuesday.
A new excessive heat warning caused by a heat dome is expected in the Phoenix area Thursday and Friday, when highs could reach 114°F (45.5°C) and 116°F (47°C), respectively, said meteorologist Ted Whittock of the National Weather Service. . Tuesday’s predicted maximum temperature of 40.5 degrees Celsius is now normal for this time of year.
He said his office has issued two extreme heat warnings in recent weeks because of the higher-than-normal high pressure that created heat domes.