What is a heat dome and how can it affect you during the summer months?
As the official start of summer is here, many Americans will experience excruciating temperatures as the season continues to warm up.
As the official start of summer is here, many Americans will experience excruciating temperatures as the season continues to warm up.
One of the major components of summer is a heat dome, an informal term for a massive area of high pressure that can stretch over 1,000 miles.
A heat dome is a persistent weather pattern that occurs when strong high-pressure systems trap hot air over a specific region, forming a lid or cap, according to the NOAA.
Under high pressure, the air sinks to the surface, acting as a dome.
This dome helps trap heat rather than allowing it to rise into the atmosphere.
"Without lift, there is little or no convection and, therefore, little or no convective clouds (cumulus clouds) with minimal chances for rain," said the NOAA. "The end result is a continual build-up of heat at the surface that we experience as a heat wave."
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This means that the weather inside the heat dome is typically clear, with little to no cloud cover and few rain events, and continuous days of heat.
If a dome settles over an area that has just rained, it can also bring high humidity, as the water that hasn’t yet evaporated is used.
As these heat domes strengthen, they become a barrier of hot air, anchored in place, resisting any attempts to change the weather.
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As a result, the dome can bring days of relentless heat to a region for several days or even several weeks.
The unbearable heat can have serious health risks as well, as extreme heat and humidity are one of the leading weather-related killers in the U.S., resulting in the fatalities of hundreds of people each year, according to the National Weather Service.
This event can bring a serious risk of heat stroke, which occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature and the sweating mechanism fails to cool itself down.
It is important to always check the forecast for heat warnings in your local area and be prepared before going outside in terms of drinking proper amounts of water, food, and staying in the shade.
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