As summer begins, a significant heat wave has affected around 265 million people across the Midwest and eastern U.S., driven by a heat dome. This weather pattern creates extreme temperatures, further intensified by high humidity from winds carrying moisture from the Caribbean. The article highlights how humidity complicates the body’s ability to cool down and emphasizes the importance of this factor in health risks during heat waves. With climate change contributing to increased humidity, some regions, particularly the eastern U.S., will face more severe impacts as heat wave intensity rises.
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This particular heat wave is thanks to a phenomenon called a heat dome: a ridge of atmospheric pressure that settles over a region.
The intensity of heat waves is increasing, and the role of humidity is becoming more critical as climate change progresses.
Recent research shows that humid heat waves are worsening and will have varied effects across different regions.
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