A heat dome is basically a lid on the atmosphere. High pressure traps hot air near the ground. That air sinks, compresses, and heats up even more. Now that lid is sliding across the entire country.
The West has already dealt with it. Phoenix and Las Vegas blew past 110°F (43°). But the system didn’t break. It just moved north and east. Billings hit 110°F. Bismarck hit 107°F. Those are numbers you expect in the desert, not the Dakotas. That is up to 25 degrees above normal.
Now it is moving toward the Midwest and the East Coast. When it gets there, it picks up another problem. Humidity.
The actual thermometer might say 95°F along the mid-Atlantic, but the moisture in the air will make it feel up to 15 degrees hotter. Your body cools itself by evaporating sweat into the air. When the air is totally full of water, that system stops working. You just bake.
Take it seriously. Check on people who live alone without AC.
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