Heat dome

A heat dome is a weather phenomenon consisting of extreme heat that is caused when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air, as if bounded by a lid or cap. Heat domes happen when strong high pressure atmospheric conditions remain stationary for an unusual amount of time, preventing convection and precipitation and keeping hot air "trapped" within a region. This can be caused by multiple factors, including sea surface temperature anomalies and the influence of a La Niña.^[1]^[2] The upper air weather patterns are slow to move, referred to by meteorologists as an Omega block.^[3]

The term is often extrapolated in media terminology for any heat wave situation, though heat waves differ as they are periods of excessively hot weather not necessarily caused by such stationary high-pressure systems.^[4] The term heat dome is also used in the context of urban heat islands.^[5]

^ "What is a heat dome?". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 30, 2021.
^ Burga, Sulcyre (27 July 2023). "What to Know About Heat Domes—And How Long They Last". Time.
^ Freedman, Andrew (July 25, 2019). "A Giant 'Heat Dome' Over Europe Is Smashing Temperature Records, And It's on The Move".
^ "Extreme Heat | CISA". www.cisa.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
^ Lacroux, Margaux. "Qu'est-ce que le «dôme de chaleur» qui fait suffoquer le Canada ?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[NOAH2-1] "What is a heat dome?". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 30, 2021.

[2] Burga, Sulcyre (27 July 2023). "What to Know About Heat Domes—And How Long They Last". Time.

[Science_Alert2-3] Freedman, Andrew (July 25, 2019). "A Giant 'Heat Dome' Over Europe Is Smashing Temperature Records, And It's on The Move".

[4] "Extreme Heat | CISA". www.cisa.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[5] Lacroux, Margaux. "Qu'est-ce que le «dôme de chaleur» qui fait suffoquer le Canada ?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-01.

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