Scorching US heatwave to hit 70 million people with third ‘heat dome’ in month | Extreme heat
Nearly 70 million people in the US will face extreme heat warnings as dangerously high temperatures scorch much of the country’s southern and central states.
The third major “heat dome” event to hit the United States in the past month is strengthening over the weekend to cover a large swath of the country, from the Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest.
Temperatures 95-105F (35-40C) expectedSome areas of the southwestern US desert potentially reach 120F (48C). Rising temperatures are expected to continue into next week, held in place by the heat dome; This means that the high-pressure atmospheric system acts as a kind of lid, trapping heat over an area for days or even weeks.
While heat waves are nothing new to American summers, the regularity and severity of such events are worsening due to the human-caused climate crisis. The release of heat-trapping gases due to the burning of fossil fuels has caused global temperatures to rise above those previously experienced during human civilization.
It’s already been a sweltering summer for many people in the United States; The major heat dome event in early July caused the cancellation of some Independence Day events in the east of the country. After that, another heat wave hit further west, causing temperatures of 115F (46C) in Montana and falling temperature records.
The latest heat dome event could potentially break records in the Denver area; The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Western Nebraska, where weekend temperatures are predicted to reach 108F (42C).
Heat is the deadliest weather phenomenon in the United States; Rising temperatures overnight and high humidity in the latest heatwave are leaving affected people unable to breathe. The elderly, pregnant women, young children, and people with existing health problems are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.
Dangerously hot conditions are currently affecting much of Europe; 250,000 people are fleeing forest fires in Spain and France. The heat wave in June resulted in an estimated 5,700 deaths in France, authorities estimated.
Parts of the UK are also burning after hot, dry conditions primed the region for fire. 88 fires currently burning across the US discussed by firefighters.
“We are experiencing exactly what climate models from the 1990s said we should experience now,” said Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a nonprofit climate change communications organization.
“So, more frequent, more severe heat waves, larger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher night temperatures. These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”
Associated Press contributed reporting
