‘Heat dome’ weather system to bake America with temperatures beyond 90F for weeks

(Source independent.co.uk) A blistering “heat dome” will blanket large swathes of the US this weekend with temperatures above 90F degrees, and up to 121F, that will last for weeks as experts warn of increased danger in heat-related illness and deaths. It comes as Tropical Storm Fay is set to batter the east coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England, with heavy rain to deluge New York and a flash flooding watch issued for parts of New Jersey. The National Weather Service on Friday begun issuing excessive heat watch alerts for “dangerously hot conditions” and are forecasting more than 75 record high temperatures to be approached or broken from Friday to Tuesday, and growing the following week. The prolonged heatwave would increase the odds of heat-related illness and deaths, Weather Underground founder Jeff Masters told CBS News. While temperatures up to 121F are possible in the Desert Southwest, areas in Texas like Amarillo will record 10 days of temperatures above 100F and up to 110F. Las Vegas and Phoenix, meanwhile, are forecast to rise above 110F on Saturday. The 100F+ degree temperatures are predicted to spread across the mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and the Southern Plains. A heat dome occurs when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air like a lid or cap, according to the National Ocean Service