 |
|
stay cool out there, it will be especially hot
Posted on: July 19, 2019 at 07:36:49 CT
Ace AU
Posts:
26241
Member For:
4.83 yrs
Level:
User
M.O.B. Votes:
101
Meteorologists say a high-pressure heat dome will trap summer heat across much of the country, smashing records. Richard Bann, with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, tells NPR the dome will deflect weather patterns around its periphery. "Global disturbances won't penetrate [the heat dome]," Bann says. "They might just move around this big dome of heat. We get maybe a few showers and maybe a few thunderstorms at the core of this, but it's basically a part of the atmosphere where it's warmest at the center of this dome."
The heat wave is caused by a jet stream moving north, which allows tropical hot air from the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical Atlantic to stream northward over the eastern half of North America. The intensity and length of this heat wave is unusual. It is expected to last for several days.
Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, told NPR the frequency of heat waves is increasing, and their persistence is likely linked to climate change.
"We're seeing heat waves ride on a background temperature that is just getting warmer. So if you've got a situation where temperatures are ten degrees warmer than normal, normal itself is actually getting warmer. So a heat wave that might have happened back in the 50s, is going to be a lot hotter now," Francis said. "Another aspect that we see connected to climate change but that you don't hear about as much is the fact that there is also a lot more water vapor in the atmosphere now. As we warm the oceans and warm the air, there is more evaporation, and that water vapor makes us feel hotter."
Water vapor is what creates the heat index, which is the combination of temperature plus how much moisture is in the air. A rising heat index means dangerous conditions for the young, elderly or others whose health may already be compromised. The National Weather Service advises people to drink plenty of water; stay out of the sun and in air-conditioned rooms; and to check on relatives, neighbors and the elderly.
The heat wave is caused by a jet stream moving north, which allows tropical hot air from the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical Atlantic to stream northward over the eastern half of North America. The intensity and length of this heat wave is unusual. It is expected to last for several days.
Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, told NPR the frequency of heat waves is increasing, and their persistence is likely linked to climate change.
"We're seeing heat waves ride on a background temperature that is just getting warmer. So if you've got a situation where temperatures are ten degrees warmer than normal, normal itself is actually getting warmer. So a heat wave that might have happened back in the 50s, is going to be a lot hotter now," Francis said. "Another aspect that we see connected to climate change but that you don't hear about as much is the fact that there is also a lot more water vapor in the atmosphere now. As we warm the oceans and warm the air, there is more evaporation, and that water vapor makes us feel hotter."
Water vapor is what creates the heat index, which is the combination of temperature plus how much moisture is in the air. A rising heat index means dangerous conditions for the young, elderly or others whose health may already be compromised. The National Weather Service advises people to drink plenty of water; stay out of the sun and in air-conditioned rooms; and to check on relatives, neighbors and the elderly.
Please explain why this message is being reported.
MESSAGE THREAD
stay cool out there, it will be especially hot - Ace A - 7/19 07:36:49
-