FENTON, Michigan – With much of the Midwest and Northeast grilling – or about to grill – In the extreme heat of summer this week, meteorologists are talking about heat waves and heat domes.
Both mean it’s too hot — and people will hear these terms a lot more as the world warms. What is the difference?
Here’s what you should know:
It’s helpful to think of a heat dome as what’s happening in the atmosphere. A heat wave affects people on the ground, said Ken Kunkel, research professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University.
When a high pressure system develops in the upper atmosphere, it causes the air below it to sink and compress. This increases temperatures in the lower atmosphere.
As the hot air expands, it creates a projecting dome.
The boundaries of this week’s heat dome are not well defined, Kunkel said, but the National Weather Service said the most extreme heat is expected in the Ohio Valley and Northeast.
The eastern heat dome follows an earlier than normal heat dome this month in the southwest. Last year, there were 645 heat-related deaths in Phoenix.
A heat wave is defined by how intense the heat is, how long it lasts and where it occurs, said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at Yale Climate Connections.
In general, several days of temperatures above 90 degrees in Texas are “no big deal,” Masters said. Farther north, the forecast is for mid to high 90s in the Midwest and Northeast this week, with heat indexes of 100 F (38 C) or higher.
“The population is simply not conditioned to that kind of heat,” he said.
The National Weather Service said some areas will likely reach daily records, with in some places the heat wave lasting all week and into the weekend.
The combination of clear skies and the higher sun angle in the summer can result in high heat index readings, a measure of temperature combined with humidity. Humidity makes the weather much hotter because the body cools down with sweat and has to work harder when the air is already humid.
The Detroit area will be in the mid-90s, with a heat index around 100 Fahrenheit (38 C) in some urban areas over the next few days. The normal high temperature for this time of year in Detroit is in the 80s. Specifically, the normal high for June 18 is 81 F, said meteorologist Brian Cromwell.
Chicago broke its 1957 temperature record on Monday with a high of 97 degrees F (36.1 degrees C). Hot and muggy conditions will continue this week, with peak heat ratings near 100 F (38 C), the National Weather Service in Chicago said in a post on social platform X.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, Tuesday’s high will be around 96 F (36 C), but will be 104 F (40 C), according to the weather service. The intense heat will continue through the weekend.
Albany, New York will see temperatures of 95 F (35 C) or hotter Tuesday through Thursday, when it will peak at 97 F (36 C), with heat indices of 100 F (38 C) or hotter, the forecast meteorological service. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that activated the National Guard to help with any heat emergencies.
The US last year experienced the most heat waves since 1936, experts said. An Associated Press analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive heat contributed to more than 2,300 deaths in the US, the highest number in 45 years of records.
The heat dome is affecting a wide swath of the eastern half of the country, from roughly the Great Plains states to Maine.
Some locations could have the highest temperatures ever recorded in any month, Masters said. A new study found that climate change is causing massive heat waves to move slower and affect more people for longer, with higher temperatures in larger areas.
Almost 77 million People across the United States were under extreme heat warnings on Tuesday.
Another excessive heat warning, caused by a heat dome, is expected in the Phoenix area on Thursday and Friday, when highs could reach 114 F (45.5 C) and 116 F (47 C), respectively, he said. National Weather Service meteorologist Ted Whittock. . Tuesday’s forecast high of 105 F (40.5 C), however, is normal for this time of year.
He said his office has issued two excessive heat warnings in recent weeks due to above-normal high pressure that has created heat domes.
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