Over 130 million people in parts of the United States suffer from the relentless heat beneath what meteorologists have nicknamed a "heat dome" as the country is engulfed in a sweltering heatwave. Temperatures have risen to dangerously high levels due to this extreme weather phenomenon, raising questions about public health, energy use, and the wider effects of climate change.
According to the National Weather Service, "searing" heat is scorching the central and southern?United States?sections this week as a vast dome of high pressure remains over the areas.
Forecasters warned that the?heat wave?could break records and be harmful. "Heat alerts have been issued from Minneapolis to New Orleans people," said weather service meteorologist Cody Snell.
Snell advised avoiding prolonged outdoor activities and taking the heat seriously since it may be fatal for anyone without appropriate cooling or hydration as temperatures and heat indices will rise to dangerous levels.
According to AccuWeather meteorologist Renee Duff, the extreme heat's extensive region and protracted nature can burden locals, wildlife, and the power grid considerably.
Jonathan Erdman, a meteorologist for Weather.com, said daytime highs in the 100s could extend as far north as Minnesota and Wisconsin and across most of the South, from Texas and Oklahoma to the Tennessee Valley, Deep South, and northern Florida.
According to Erdman, Chicago may have its first triple-digit high in more than 11 years.
Maximum heat indices could reach 120 degrees, according to the weather service, when terrible?humidity?conditions are considered. The nights won't be much better because the lows will barely drop to around 80 degrees.
According to Snell, overnight heat "will compound the impacts associated with this potentially deadly heat wave."
Due to the extreme heat, South Dakota and Indiana schools moved recess inside and postponed sporting events throughout the Midwest.
The weather phenomenon known as a "heat dome" occurs when a high-pressure system traps warm air beneath it, resulting in a heat dome. This phenomenon causes temperatures to rise to record levels simultaneously in many places. The Central U.S. is being affected by the current heat dome, which has spread over a substantial area of the United States.
Parts of the United States and other parts of the world have already experienced an exceptionally hot summer; this week's heat wave is simply the latest to punish them.
In fact, temperatures around the world reached new highs in June and July.
Scientists have long warned that burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and specific agricultural practices are contributing to climate change, which will result in more frequent and protracted periods of extreme weather, including hotter temperatures like those currently experienced in the central United States this week.
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