What's all the talk about a heat dome causing a heat wave that is blistering the eastern third of the nation? You may have heard your local TV meteorologist talk about a "dome of high pressure" being responsible for this heat wave.
Essentially, a heat dome is just another word for a dome of high pressure that forms south of the polar jet stream, usually during the summer months, in the Northern Hemisphere, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
But why has this heat wave been so severe and deadly?
How many times have you also heard, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity," or, "It's a dry heat"? Believe it or not, the amount of water vapor present in the atmosphere can actually make a huge difference in the severity of a heat wave. The amount of moisture the atmosphere holds affects how severe the heat is to the human body.
