After a rainy few weeks, summer is finally here in Chattanooga, as a blistering heat wave has brought temperatures to the upper 90s in the area over the past week.
In what meteorologists call a heat dome – when the right weather conditions trap heat and humidity into the lower atmosphere – surging temperatures have spread throughout the Eastern United States and Midwest, with some areas seeing 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal levels.
Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist, told The Associated Press last week that high pressure readings broke a record, creating a “near historic” heat wave.
For vulnerable populations especially, these high temperatures pose a grave danger.