It’s helpful to think of a heat dome as what’s happening in the atmosphere. A heat wave is how affects people on the ground, said Ken Kunkel, a research professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University. When a high pressure system develops in the upper atmosphere, it causes the air below it to sink and compress. That raises temperatures in the lower atmosphere. Because hot air expands, it creates a dome that bulges out.

Source: Economic Times June 19, 2024 13:19 UTC