Topline
A “heat dome,” which has caused droughts, water shortages and dozens of deaths in Mexico, is moving toward the U.S., and meteorologists predict the West will experience record-breaking heat this week, as several states are being placed under excessive heat watches.
Key Facts
States including Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montano and Wyoming are expected to have temperatures above normal throughout this week, according to the National Weather Service’s 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook, which lasts through June 8.
The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat watches and warnings for large swaths of the state away from the immediate coast, with highs across much of the Central Valley expected to top 100 starting Wednesday and lasting throughout the week while traditionally hot desert areas of southern California could scorch with highs around 120 degrees expected in Death Valley late in the week.
An excessive heat watch from Wednesday through Friday was also put in place for parts of Arizona like Phoenix, where temperatures are estimated to reach 110 degrees for the first time this season.
Parts of west Texas near the Mexico border will also experience triple-digit heat this week, where temperatures are expected to reach up to 113 degrees, while the heat index in south Texas near the Mexico border could hit 115.
The“heat dome” rolling in from Mexico is a high pressure system that traps warm air and creates dry, hot weather conditions for days or weeks at a time, preventing clouds from forming, and resulting in excess sunshine that can also boost temperatures, according to AccuWeather.
What To Watch For
This could just be the start of another scorching summer of heat waves across the U.S., in line with the National Weather Service’s prediction of above-average temperatures for most of the U.S. through August, with the Southwest and West expected to experience the highest temperatures.
Key Background
Mexico’s heat dome has caused record-breaking temperatures, droughts, power outages, water shortages and the deaths of dozens of people and animals. Almost 50 people have died from heat strokes and dehydration since March, though hundreds more have been afflicted with these and other heat-related conditions. Some 157 howler monkeys have died from heat stroke due to high temperatures, forest fires and droughts. An ecology park in northern Mexico has also reported at least 100 parrots, bats and other animals have died from dehydration. Some 82% of Mexico is experiencing unusually dry conditions, the worst drought the country has witnessed since 2011, when 96% of the country was experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions. The country’s highest temperature under the heat dome was 124 degrees, less than two degrees away from breaking the country’s all-time record high of 125.6 degrees set in July 1995.
Tangent
The heat dome may have also played a part in the severe storms in the South in recent weeks, according to AccuWeather. Heat domes can create “rings of fire,” when the northern edge of a heat dome causes intense thunderstorms and tornadoes, according to Jeff Berardelli, the chief meteorologist and climate expert for WFLA-TV—a Florida news station.
Further Reading
Climate change amplifying Mexico’s heat and drought crisis (Axios)
Mexico’s ‘heat dome’ has already killed dozens of people as hotter days loom (Reuters)
