Millions of people across central and eastern US under ‘heat dome’ warning | US news

Tens of millions of people across the center and the east of the United States will be suffocating under the first “heat dome” of the summer from this weekend and extending until the end of next week while hot air and extremely humidity are trapped in the atmosphere.

The arrival of the heat wave coincides with the first day of Friday summer and will bring temperatures to 100F (37.7C) or higher than many cities while it moves to the east of the United States in the coming days, according to the forecasters.

As it is estimated that 170 to 200 million people will be affected by the great central plains in the States of the Atlantic Middle, notably New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, without a restful respite until the “lid” of high pressure is hidden next weekend.

Experts warn residents to stay in the fridge as much as possible, even after the darkness of darkness.

“It will be exceptionally hot at night with little relief once the sun sets,” said Bernie Rayno, chief meteorologist in Aled in Accuweather, in a Friday afternoon bulletin. “Many urban areas may have trouble falling below 80 at night, which can wreak havoc on the body without air conditioning.”

Heat domes, which are formed when high pressure from the earth atmosphere compresses the hot air and grows on the surface, have become increasingly common in the United States in recent years in the mid-global temperatures fueled by the climate emergency.

Extreme Heat has killed more people in the United States since 1995 than hurricanes and tornadoes, according to figures from the National Weather Service, including 238 last year.

“Extreme heat is tragically the main cause of death related to weather conditions in America,” said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist in Accuweather.

“There is an amplified risk of heat -related diseases because it is the first heat wave of the year for millions of people, and their bodies are not yet acclimatized to this type of heat and humidity.”

More than 40 million people were already under thermal alerts by lunch time on Friday while temperatures were starting to increase through the Midwest. Large areas of Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa experienced temperatures above 90F.

On Saturday, extreme heat should spread to the north and east in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri; While Sunday will see states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York start to experience maximum temperatures.

From start to mid -week, the whole region also extends to the east that Maine will have high temperatures and humidity.

The risks for the health of extreme heat cannot be underestimated, according to experts, especially if temperatures do not drop significantly after sunset.

“Your body needs a stay,” said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University, at the Associated Press.

“You do not get tonight, we start the next day at a deficit. When we have night temperatures that do not fall below 75F, you start to see quite extraordinary results with regard to heat disease and heat stroke, and even mortality.”

Some states and municipalities have set up cooling stations to facilitate the conditions of vulnerable populations, in particular those that are not lotie.

Only a handful of states have legal heat protections such as shade and water breaks for outdoor workers. In Phoenix, Arizona, the hottest city in the United States with 143 days at 100F or more in 2024, city leaders last year approved unanimous regulations, including compulsory access to air conditioning.

Some states, however, have actively suppressed these measures. In Florida, which has around 2 million outdoor workers, republican governor Ron Desantis signed a law last year prohibiting municipalities from promulgating heat protections after lobbying business owners.