Protecting Yourself From the Heat Dome
July 18, 2016
Protecting Yourself From the 'Heat Dome'
By Ashley Hayes
It’s already hot across much of the U.S. But in many areas, it’s only getting hotter.
Forecasters are warning of a “heat dome” causing sweltering temperatures and high humidity in the central U.S. It’s expected to spread eastward in the next few days.
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were posted Friday across a large swath of the nation, from Minnesota to Texas. The National Weather large swath of the nation, from Minnesota to Texas. The National Weather Service warns the heat index (how hot it feels with humidity factored in) will be well over 100 degrees in some areas.
So what is a “heat dome?” Essentially, it’s a weather phenomenon involving a bubble of high pressure that traps warm air.
This year is already predicted to be the hottest on record. June was the 14th straight month of record heat for land and oceans, according to a Wednesday statement from the U.N.’s World Meteorological Association. The average temperature in the first six months of 2016 was 2.4 Fahrenheit degrees warmer than temperatures seen in the late 19th century.