Record-Breaking Heat Persists in Heat Dome
Written by: Case Brown
Cover Photo illustrated by: Jazmmin Bernal
The Midwest has encountered a prolonged period of elevated temperatures over the past couple of months, and Kansas stands as no exception to this trend. It has been hot, humid, and miserable, but why? The source is a weather phenomenon known as a heat dome.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a heat dome occurs when, “high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from La Niña (a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide). This creates vast areas of sweltering heat that gets trapped under the high-pressure "dome." In other words, the Midwest is sitting in a car with no A/C and the windows up. NOAA-backed scientists found the main cause of heat domes to be strong changes in ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean the preceding winter, which cause temperature imbalances that carry over to the spring and summer.
When parts of the Pacific are hotter than others, such as in the case in the West near Australia and New Zealand, it can cause an imbalance in pressure across the entire ocean. This then pushes winds in the winter East, where Northern jet streams (fast flowing air currents) push them South, where they settle and cause heat waves. The heat dome currently afflicting the United States has broken records for temperature highs, such as in Phoenix, Arizona, where temperatures sat at or above 110 degrees for thirty one consecutive days in July.
The cause of much of the weather conditions and changes in oceanic temperatures is global warming. The burning of fossil fuels and releasing of carbon dioxide and other such gasses into the atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise, and consequently extreme weather events are following suit.
The forecast for Goddard shows that excessive heat will continue to persist in the upper nineties and hundreds at least through mid September. For some parts of the country, the end of the heat is nowhere in sight. With these temperatures continuing, it is increasingly important that people take care of themselves and stay hydrated to avoid harm.
