A large, strong, and long-lasting heat dome is expected to bring significant and dangerous temperatures to the US, with the National Weather Service warning of a heat wave that will last at least a week.

Heat Wave to Affect Millions

The heat wave will start this weekend and will affect millions of people, with temperatures expected to be 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal in many areas, including at night.

According to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, this heat wave is expected to be a long-duration, widespread, and high-intensity event that will affect millions of people for over a week.

The heat dome will initially park over the Northern Plains but will be so big that it will trap sweltering temperatures across as much as two-thirds of the continental United States.

Record-Breaking Heat Expected

Forecasters are expecting record triple-digit highs this weekend in several states, including Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The weather service is predicting that more than 90 US local temperature records will be tied or broken through Wednesday, with two-thirds being overnight heat records that can hinder how the human body recovers from broiling days.

Climate change is worsening the heat, with the El Nino that recently formed too young to have a pronounced impact on this heat wave, but climate change from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas clearly does, according to the three meteorologists.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.