The US is set to face a severe heatwave with temperatures reaching 122F (50C) in parts of California on August 7. The 'dangerously hot weather' will expand across much of the central United States this weekend and into next week, from Dallas to North Dakota, with roughly 70 million people facing heat alerts.
Heat Dome to Blame
This is due to a condition called 'heat dome' which traps heat and creates sustained high temperatures. The heat dome is set to cover a huge stretch of the country, from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast, reaching up into the Midwest and Great Plains. Some records around the Denver area may be broken, forecasters said. Temperatures are expected to be 10F to 15F (5.6 to 8.3C) above what's normal.
“It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week,” said Bob Oravec, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Widespread Impact
Nebraska, Montana, and Wyoming are set to be the warmest areas, but next week the worst pockets of heat will become particularly severe across Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast. This is not the first heatwave the US is facing this summer. Several Independence Day celebrations and events for the country's 250th anniversary have recently been cancelled. Another heatwave hit mid-July in the Southwest and Great Plains.
Climate Context
Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, said: “We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now. That is more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures.”
UK Also Braces for Heat
Brits can also expect a new heatwave after a brief period of rain. According to the latest maps issued by WXCharts, a new spell of hot weather could hit the UK from Scotland to the south of England on Wednesday, 29 July. Temperatures are set to reach at least 30C across the entire country, but some areas could also become warmer than that as peaks of 39C are shown on the maps.
