As a heatwave and drought continues to dominate most of Texas, KJAS wants to delve deeper into exactly how a heatwave happens. A heatwave is the result of high pressure from about 10,000 feet to about 25,000 feet in the atmosphere, causing what we commonly refer to as a “dome of high pressure”. The high pressure doesn’t allow heat to rise and escape into the upper atmosphere, and instead traps it down here at ground level. High pressure also chokes off convection, meaning that rain clouds aren’t able to form and the result is drought. Once they form, high pressure domes tend to stay in one spot and are very slow to move during the summer. They’re more mobile during winter. Although the extremely hot temperatures are frustrating and we certainly pay for it through our electric bills, the one positive aspect is that a high-pressure dome will not allow a hurricane to get anywhere near it.
WEATHER FORECAST:
Thursday – Sunny, high over 100°
Thursday Night - Mostly clear, low around 78°
Friday – Sunny, high over 100°
Friday Night - Mostly clear, low around 77°
Saturday – Sunny, high over 100°
Saturday Night - Mostly clear, low around 77°
Sunday – Sunny, high over 100°