ORLANDO, Fla. – Lately, the deep south has been stuck under a weather pattern called a “heat dome.”
A heat dome occurs when a strong ridge of high pressure forms over an area and doesn’t budge much for days or even weeks resulting in very hot temperatures and dangerous heat index values.
The high-pressure circulation in the atmosphere acts like a cap or dome, trapping the heat at the surface as the air continues to sink and heat up more.
The “dome” reference was created to further explain that the hot air is stuck in a specific area for some time and continues to warm to uncomfortable and even deadly levels.
Due to this setup, daytime highs have been staying way above normal lately and there have been numerous records broken or tied across the Deep South. The dangerous heat indices continue to prompt heat advisories and excessive heat warnings daily.
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In order for a heat warning to be advised in east Central Florida, heat index values are expected to be at 113 degrees or exceed that for two hours or more. For a heat advisory to be issued the heat Index of 108 degrees or higher is expected for at least 2 hours.
On Thursday, excessive heat warnings and advisories are currently in effect for a good chunk of Texas and across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The combination of the heat and high humidity are expected to stay consistent as we head into the weekend affecting more than 50 million people across the Deep South.
The month of August in Florida is already off to a very hot start. The first week alone, daily high temperatures exceeded the average high temperature for the season, which is 92 degrees.
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, Orlando heated up to 99 degrees, breaking the record of 98 degrees set back in 1931. The official peak heat index in Orlando was 112 degrees.
Then, the next day, the daytime high tied the record of 99 degrees set back in 1987.
Unfortunately, little to no relief is expected from the relentless heat across the southern states during the next couple of weeks. The National Weather Service’s 6-10 day and 8-14 day temperature outlooks forecast high chances for above-normal temperatures.
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