USA weather maps show 122F heatwave as ‘dangerous’ conditions spark pa | US | News
Parts of the US are about to be hit by a massive heat wave that could send temperatures soaring as high as 122F (50C). ‘Dangerously hot weather’ will spread across much of the central United States this weekend and from Dallas to North Dakota next week, with nearly 70 million people facing heat warnings.
Weather maps show temperatures of 122F or 50C in parts of California on August 7.
This is due to a special phenomenon called a ‘heat dome’, which traps heat and creates constantly high temperatures. The ‘heat dome’ is set to cover a large portion of the country, stretching from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast to the Midwest and Great Plains. Forecasters said some records could be broken in the Denver area. Temperatures are expected to be 10 F to 15 F (5.6 to 8.3 C) above normal.
“It looks like it’s going to stay pretty much stationary at that location throughout the week,” said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming will be the hottest areas, but the worst pockets of heat next week will become particularly severe in Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast.
This isn’t the first heat wave the United States has faced this summer. Many Independence Day celebrations and events marking the country’s 250th anniversary were recently canceled. The Southwest and Great Plains experienced another heat wave in mid-July.
“We’re experiencing exactly the same thing that climate models from the 1990s say we should be experiencing now. That’s more frequent, more severe heat waves, larger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher night temperatures,” said Andy Pershing, program officer at Climate Central.
Brits can also expect a new heatwave after a short spell of rain. A new heatwave could hit England from Scotland to the south of England on Wednesday, July 29, according to the latest maps published by WXCharts.
Temperatures will reach at least 30C across the country, although some areas may be warmer than this, with maps showing peaks of 39C.
