What is a Heat Dome? The science behind dangerous, long-lasting heat waves
Key takeaways
- Add ARY News on Google AAResize Heat Dome Explained: It’s Like a lid on a bubbling pot
- It is very warm to scorching on the ground below it because the system is basically parked on top and doesn’t let any heat dissipate in the higher atmosphere above us — it keeps it there.
- This refers to an air mass trapped underneath high-pressure system; the circulation of air brings about stagnant conditions in which the atmosphere is heated from below.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize Heat Dome Explained: It’s Like a lid on a bubbling pot
The basic phenomenon that creates the prolonged and intense heat waves often called “heat domes” is this: large amounts of air are heated high in the atmosphere over an area of the earth and this air mass get trapped or parked there, not able to move to cooler regions for days or weeks.
It is very warm to scorching on the ground below it because the system is basically parked on top and doesn’t let any heat dissipate in the higher atmosphere above us — it keeps it there. “A heat dome is when a region of the United States is locked in a system of the highest pressure you could imagine for about a week, essentially trapping heat and moisture within,” meteorologist Mike Smith explained in 2021 while explaining a heat dome that the West experienced.