Heat Dome Observed In several Countries:
Several countries in Europe recorded their hottest January weather ever in 2023 with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees Celsius above average.
- These included Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia.
- Experts said that the continent is experiencing an extremely warm spell because of the formation of a heat dome over the region.
- In 2021, a heat dome formed over western Canada and the US, causing deadly heat waves.
- Another heat dome settled over the US in September 2022 and raised temperatures to a new high.
Heat Dome:
- A heat dome occurs when an area of high-pressure traps warm air over a region, just like a lid on a pot, for an extended period of time.
- The longer that air remains trapped, the more the sun works to heat the air, producing warmer conditions with every passing day.
- Heat domes generally stay for a few days but sometimes they can extend up to weeks, which might cause deadly heat waves.
- Scientists suggest that any region of high pressure, whether a heat dome or not, forces air to sink and once it reaches the ground, it gets compressed and becomes even warmer.
- Moreover, when air sinks, it gets drier and further raises the temperature of the area.
