An extreme heat wave is headed to the United States from Mexico and experts warn that 7.7 million people within hot spots could be affected.
Florida, Texas and parts of Nevada will be affected by the expanding ‘heat dome’, with temperatures expected to rise to dangerous levels of over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
High temperatures have already begun fueling violent storms in Houston and Dallas, Texas, in the past two weeks and reached a record 115 degrees Fahrenheit on Memorial Day, breaking the previous record of 108 degrees in May 1998.
The ‘heat dome’ that has spread across Mexico since March has already claimed the lives of more than two dozen people and killed 157 endangered howler monkeys.
16 cities across the United States will be affected by extreme temperatures of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the starting point for dehydration and heat stroke to set in.
The Southwest will experience the most intense heat waves in the country, with temperatures reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit the week of Corpus Christi and nearly 100 in Dallas early next week.
The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center issued a warning that much of the Southwest will be affected by the heat dome, causing temperatures to rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
The state has six of the 16 major U.S. cities set to experience the hottest days with temperatures reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit the week of Corpus Christi and nearly 100 in Dallas early next week.
This is 10 to 15 degrees higher than the state average a decade ago.
Residents of other cities, including Tampa and Miami, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, and New Orleans, Louisiana, should start preparing by making sure their homes are fully supplied with water and have access to air conditioning.
A heat dome occurs when warm ocean air is trapped in the atmosphere, much like placing a lid on a boiling pot.
Warm air expands through the atmosphere, creating a dome-shaped structure that prevents cooler air from circulating, blocks cloud cover and rain, and can increase the chance of wildfires.
“Basically, we just have the sun coming down unimpeded, baking the ground, and there’s no real cloud cover or moisture to contain our temperatures,” said Gabriel A. Vecchi, professor of geosciences at Princeton University. TIME.
The CDC reported that there are steps you can take to protect yourself from heat-related illnesses, including staying hydrated and in air-conditioned areas as much as possible.
Florida, Texas and parts of Nevada will be affected by an expanding ‘heat dome’, with temperatures expected to rise to dangerous levels of more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because heat domes expel rain, they force moisture up and over the bubble, creating what are called “ring of fire” thunderstorms that have occurred in parts of Texas.
Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other weather pattern, killing 1,220 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It only takes 10 to 15 minutes for your body to overheat, and if it can’t cool down immediately, it can lead to muscle cramps or spasms, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, headaches, and death.
The extreme heat is expected to last from June to August and experts are concerned it will contribute to an increased risk of tropical cyclones this summer.
Experts are concerned that the heat dome will also cause major droughts after it affected 80 percent of southern Mexico, where temperatures reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has caused lakes and dams to dry up and water supplies to dry up, prompting protests from Mexico City police officers who said their barracks had no water for a week and bathrooms were unusable.
Extreme heat is caused by greenhouse gases that come from burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.
“We can expect another dangerously hot summer season, and daily records have already been broken in some parts of Texas and Florida,” said Kristy Dahl, senior climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Climate and Energy program. The Guardian.
“As we warm the planet, we will see climate disasters accumulate and compound each other due to the lack of resilience of our infrastructure and government systems.”
In response to increasing heat waves, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created a seven-day program heat risk forecast so Americans can stay up to date on how they will be affected.
