Unprecedented Heat Dome to Bring Sizzling Temperatures to the Plains: Stay Safe!
Unprecedented Heat Dome to Bring Sizzling Temperatures to the Plains: Stay Safe!
A massive heat dome will spread triple-digit highs across a large swath of the country’s midsection, prolonging the South’s chronic blistering heat.
July set records for numerous of cities in the southern United States, as well as for the entire world.
Now, a heat wave will not only keep the South sweltering, but will also expand its tentacles into the country’s midsection, including locations that haven’t been as consistently hot this summer.
Who will feel it and who will not: The heat will primarily remain over much of the Plains and Deep South, but will gradually spread into more of the Midwest and Southeast in the coming week.
While sections of the Northeast may also heat up, it appears that this will only last a day or two before cooler air sweeps in. Much of the West will likewise remain pretty calm.
Daytime highs in the 100s may extend as far north as Minnesota and South Dakota at times, and across most of the South from Texas and Oklahoma to the Tennessee Valley, Deep South, and northern Florida.
Morning lows in these places may struggle to go below the upper 70s, even the low 80s, especially in the heart of larger cities.
Several daily records, both for record highs and record warm lows, are expected to be established in various places throughout the week.
A heat dome of unprecedented strength? A “heat dome” is the source of this growing heat wave.
That’s a ring of high pressure and warm air that suppresses clouds and rain while diverting the storm track to the north. When these occur throughout the summer, they can cause extended heat waves at their core.
It turns out that this heat dome may be one of the strongest we’ve observed in some regions of the Plains.
Without delving too far into the weeds, a metric meteorologists use to determine the strength of such heat domes – and troughs of low pressure aloft – may approach all-time highs in places like Omaha, Nebraska, and Springfield, Missouri.
That does not mean we’re looking at all time record heat. It just means this heat will be searing, dangerous, expansive and will last for several days.
Here’s how to stay safe:
The hot weather will be especially perilous for vulnerable groups, such as the sick and old. When high heat strikes, the NWS has helpful heat safety measures that can be incorporated into regular routines.
-Job sites: Stay hydrated and take as many breaks inside as feasible. Remember that if the temperature is above 110 degrees, you will not be able to tell if you are sweating.
-Indoors: Check on the elderly, the sick, and those who do not have air conditioning.
-In vehicles: Never leave children or pets unattended, and always check before locking.
-When outside, limit intense activity and seek shade. Drink plenty of water and stay away from alcohol.
