Heat dome expands across the central United States, creating dangerous conditions for millions

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Dangerously hot weather will expand across much of the central United States this weekend and into next week, pushing temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) from Dallas to North Dakota with roughly 70 million people facing heat advisories.

A heat dome, where atmospheric conditions trap heat, will create sustained high temperatures and accumulating discomfort. Overnight low temperatures aren’t expected to come down enough for people to have much chance to recover, allowing heat stress to build as the bad weather lingers, forecasters said. The high humidity will make it feel even worse.

A huge stretch of the country will endure the oppressive midsummer weather. It will stretch from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast, reaching up into the Midwest and Great Plains. Some records around the Denver area may be broken, forecasters said. Temperatures are expected to be 10 F to 15 F (5.6 to 8.3 C) above what’s normal.

“It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week,” said Bob Oravec, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Places under a National Weather Service extreme heat warning included western Nebraska, where temperatures Saturday and Sunday were forecast to reach 108 F (42 C).

At the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, Nebraska, there were fewer visitors than usual for this time of year. Meanwhile, fur hats and pelts in the gift shop weren’t selling so hot.

“I’m sure no one would be willing to wear it on a day like this,” said museum employee Hannah Lovelace. Loose-fitting, period-correct fabric shirts, on the other hand, remained popular sellers among folks headed to historical frontier re-enactments called rendezvous, she said.

The region's heat was forecast to continue through the week, with temperatures topping 100 F (37 C) even in normally moderate areas of Montana and Wyoming.

There might be some relief in the central United States toward next weekend, but even that might be temporary, said Oravec.

Some areas will be spared. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast should avoid the extreme heat, as will much of the Pacific Northwest.

This is the latest miserable stretch of weather during a summer that has already had a lot of it. The eastern United States endured an unbearably hot early July that forced communities to cancel Independence Day celebrations and disrupted the country's 250th anniversary. Another heat wave in mid-July hit the Southwest and Great Plains. It’s not just the United States. A heat wave in June devastated Europe; France recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during this period.

This heat dome will be dangerous. Children and the elderly, along with those with medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious conditions including heat stroke. The basics are important: people should seek out air conditioning or a cooling center and make sure they drink enough water and limit time under the direct sun.

The weather will shift somewhat through the week with the worst pockets of heat becoming particularly severe across Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast by Wednesday.

It can be difficult to know exactly how climate change contributes to particular events in real time. But rising carbon dioxide levels from burning fossil fuels makes it more likely that hotter weather becomes more frequent and extreme, according to Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications nonprofit.

“We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now. That is more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures,” Pershing said. “These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”

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Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed.