![]() ![]() What's more, because of the humidity, even nighttime brings little relief. "In places where the highest temperature you ever expect is in the 80s and you're at 102, there are big health concerns," because fewer people have air conditioning or fans, Jacks said. The big difference is that people in Houston are accustomed to hot weather, while those in the north are not. That also explains why temperatures in, say, North Dakota this week aren't all that different from temperatures in Houston, he said. The dome of high pressure also pushes the jet stream and its drier, cooler air, farther north - it's now well into Canada - while hot, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico circulates clockwise around the dome, travelling farther inland than normal.Ĭombined with generally clear skies and the sun's higher summertime angle, "it gets really hot," Jacks said. When a high pressure system develops in the upper atmosphere, the air below it sinks and compresses because there's more weight on top, causing temperatures in the lower atmosphere to heat up, said Eli Jacks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Md. The oppressive conditions extend from the northern Plains states to Texas and from Nebraska to the Ohio Valley. "When you're done for the day, you're ready to eat, drink and hit the couch." Although his huge Caterpillar excavator has air conditioning, he couldn't entirely escape. "It's hot no matter what you're doing or where you are," said Tim Prader, a 50-year-old construction worker who was taking a break Tuesday at a job site in St. Much of the United States is trapped under a heat "dome" caused by a huge area of high pressure that's compressing hot, moist air beneath it, leading to miserable temperatures in the mid-90s to low 100s and heat-index levels well above 100 degrees. CHICAGO - For millions of people enduring this week's extreme heat and humidity, it feels like they're living in a pressure cooker.
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