Approximately 70 million people across the United States are now under excessive heat advisories as dangerously high temperatures sweep the South and Central states.
The third major “heat dome” to affect the country this month is intensifying over the weekend, extending from the Gulf of Mexico coast through the Great Plains to the Midwest.
Forecast temperatures range from 95–105 °F (35–40 °C), with parts of the southwestern desert projected to reach 120 °F (48 °C). The high‑pressure system is expected to keep the region locked in extreme heat for days or weeks, acting as a lid that traps warmth in place.
While heatwaves are a familiar feature of American summers, the frequency and intensity of these events are escalating as a result of the human‑driven climate crisis. Emissions of heat‑trapping gases from fossil‑fuel combustion have pushed global temperatures beyond any historic levels for human civilization.
The United States has already experienced multiple severe heat events this summer. An early‑July heat dome forced the cancellation of several Independence Day celebrations in the eastern part of the country, and a subsequent wave drove temperatures to 115 °F (46 °C) in Montana, shattering local records.
The newest heat dome is poised to set record highs in the Denver area, and the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for western Nebraska, where weekend temperatures are expected to peak at 108 °F (42 °C).
Heat claims more lives than any other weather phenomenon in the United States. Nighttime temperatures are also forecast to remain elevated, and high humidity will prevent any cooling relief. Older adults, pregnant individuals, young children, and those with pre‑existing health conditions are especially vulnerable to these extreme conditions.
European nations are confronting similarly dangerous conditions, with 250 000 people displaced by wildfires in Spain and France. A June heatwave in France is estimated to have caused around 5 700 deaths, according to official tallies.
Hot, dry weather has also heightened fire risk in parts of the United Kingdom, while 88 active wildfires across the United States are being fought by emergency crews.
“We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now,” said Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications non-profit.
“That is, more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures. These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
