Heat Dome to Bring Triple-Digit Temperatures of up to 113 Degrees Fahrenheit for the Southwest US

A heat dome is set to hit the Southwestern United States this week as triple-digit temperatures have been projected to reach up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

This estimation is according to AccuWeather forecasters, who said that the scorching temperatures will be evident by Monday, July 11.

Similar values could also continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 12 and July 13.

The heat dome is shifting towards the Western US early this week.

The rising temperatures is caused by the shrinking of air below the heat wave and the inhibition of precipitation and cloud cover.

The emerging weather disturbance will reportedly decrease the chance of monsoon thunderstorms in the coming days, and pave the way for renewed hot weather, the forecasters said.

The extreme heat will replace the North American monsoon, which recently prevailed in the region.

The US weather forecast indicated this made temperatures to relatively be in balance.

In addition, the monsoon also resulted in substantial rainfall, deviating from the naturally state of drought of the Southwest US and its surrounding regions.

Furthermore, the looming heat wave could result in above-average temperatures between 5 degrees Fahrenheit and 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is also a risk of heat-related illnesses and the suppression of monsoon severe weather.

Intense heat and prolonged dry conditions could also lead to potential fatalities; both for animals and humans, as was seen during the previous heat dome in June.

Western US Heat Dome

(Photo : Photo by Skitterphoto via Pexels)

AccuWeather started its heat forecast by mentioning the hotspot of the monsoonal moisture over Colorado, New Mexico, and southeastern Utah.

Meanwhile, a number of locations in the West received little rainfall.

The weather forecasting company explained that the Sun's energy is no longer needed to evaporate the moisture; this is due to the increasing surface temperatures of the ground.

In Nevada, Las Vegas is one of the cities expected to experience similar weather conditions.

Other metropolitan areas at risk will be Salt Lake City, Utah; Denver, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas.

Also Read: Heat Dome to Put Millions of People Under High Temperatures Across the United States

Southeast US Drought

The Western US heat dome forecast coincides with the ongoing drought in the Southeast US.

The extreme heat in the East Coast is caused by a dangerous hot weather and dry conditions due to a heat wave along the Gulf Coast and its adjacent areas, according to the US Drought Monitor.

However, AccuWeather also issued a separate forecast on Friday that a combination of jet streams with a cold front and moisture will bring an inclement weather in the region situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Over the recent weekend, the heat dome had already broken at least 10 heat records across the Southwest US and Central US; this is the case in some cities and towns in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to USA Today.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer told USA Today that July is already a "hot time" of the year but the conditions brought by the heat dome remains conducive and not extremely widespread.