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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alexa St. John

What makes a 'heat dome' and what does it mean?

Climate Heat Dome Explainer - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

These unbearably hot and humid summer months that put millions of people across the globe at risk are typically made possible by phenomena known as heat domes.

Heat domes can make already-high temperatures even more extreme and prolonged, and they are worsening in severity and becoming more frequent as the planet warms.

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