Scorching heat dome shatters records across US, over 60 million under alerts

The second week of a potentially fatal heat dome has put over 60 million Americans, under heat alerts.

This weekend, daily records for temperature in the Northeast, Southeast, and West were broken. For example, the day temperature in Philadelphia was recoirded at 98 degrees, it was 100 degrees in Greenville, Mississippi, and 108 degrees in Merced, California.

For the first time in 12 years, temperatures in June reached 100 degrees this past weekend in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The Deep South, the West, and the Southeast are all being affected by the deadly heat. A scorching 110 degrees is predicted in Las Vegas and Palm Springs, California, and temperatures of 96 degrees in Atlanta, 94 degrees in New Orleans and Nashville, Tennessee, 100 degrees in Little Rock, Arkansas, 99 degrees in Oklahoma City, 98 degrees in Dallas, 109 degrees in Phoenix, 97 degrees in Salt Lake City, and 96 degrees in New Orleans are predicted.

Oklahoma will have the highest chance of heat waves. Because of the mix of scorching afternoons and extremely warm nights, Oklahoma City is at the highest degree of extreme heat danger.

What is a heat dome?

A heat dome is a meteorological phenomena in which the atmosphere forms a high-pressure region that traps hot air underneath it, much like a pot lid does. The pressure stops the milder weather systems from passing through by forcing air into a hotter, dome-shaped mass. This heat dome intensifies a heat wave by producing extended bursts of uncomfortably high temperatures.

In the country's western and southern regions, where temperatures are already high, heat domes are more prevalent.

Although heat domes have been building over the US for many years, the term seems to have gained popularity recently. In March 2022, the American Meteorological Society included "heat dome" in its lexicon of words.

(With inputs from agencies)