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What is a heat dome?

Powerful ridge of high pressure settles, causing very hot temperatures

The sun rises amid high temperatures in Mexico City, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Extreme heat in Mexico, Central America and parts of the U.S. South has left millions of people in sweltering temperatures, strained energy grids and resulted in iconic Howler monkeys in Mexico dropping dead from trees. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) (Marco Ugarte, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Parts of the U.S. in recent days have been caught in a weather pattern known as a “heat dome.”

A heat dome happens when a powerful ridge of high pressure settles over an area and remains relatively stationary for days or even weeks, causing extremely hot temperatures and dangerous heat index values.

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What is a heat dome?

The high-pressure system in the atmosphere acts as a lid — or dome — trapping the heat near the ground as the air sinks and becomes even hotter.

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The term “dome” is used to illustrate that the hot air is trapped in a particular area for an extended period, steadily heating to uncomfortable and potentially life-threatening levels.

This dome prevents cooler air from moving in, so temperatures underneath can soar, leading to heatwaves. It’s like being stuck under a blanket on a hot day, but on a much larger scale.

Due to the setup, near-record or record heat can persist for an extended period of time.


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