Tuesday, June 27

Almost 45 million people are now being scorched by a massive heat wave that is burning the southern United States, in what meteorologists are calling a 'heat dome.' Heat domes are large areas of high pressure which create hot, dry, arid conditions with low humidity and few clouds. They sit over a certain area for weeks at a time, blazing the area they are above. It is called a 'dome' because the heat gets trapped in that area, building the temperatures up to highly dangerous levels. Right now, this heat dome is mainly affecting Texas and the states around it, with temperatures in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio reaching temperatures of 102ºF (39ºC) this week, El Paso reaching 106ºF (41ºC), and Laredo hitting 110ºF (43ºC). Meanwhile, slightly west, Phoenix, Arizona is expected to reach 113ºF (45ºC) this week, and Death Valley, California expected to hit 120ºF (49ºC) on the same day. Because of the extreme heat, officials say that over two-thirds of the US could go through a power outage this summer.

On another note, the Canadian wildfires have picked up again, with the smoke spreading across North America again on Tuesday. Air quality in Midwestern cities like Chicago and Minneapolis were among the worst in the world, surpassing cities notorious for pollution (such as New Delhi, India and Lahore, Pakistan)- Chicago even ranked number one in the world for worst air quality. Some Chicago residents reported that it was almost like a foggy haze that 'smelled like a campfire,' and similar reports were heard across the Midwest. However, the Canadian wildfires show no sign of stopping, as the dry, hot weather continues in the provinces. Thousands of firefighters from both the US and Canada are fighting the intense flames, but they are becoming worse and worse. One study said that the smoke may have even reached Europe by now.