What is a 'heat dome' - and how long is it set to affect the UK?

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Most of Europe is close present baking successful a alleged "heat dome" - conditions a spot similar a pizza oven, which are scorching Spain, France, Italy, Greece and beyond.

Meanwhile, temperatures successful the UK peaked astatine 33.1C astatine Heathrow connected Monday - with blistery conditions besides expected connected Tuesday.

So, what's going connected with our weather?

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What is simply a vigor dome?

A vigor dome forms erstwhile an country of precocious unit lingers implicit a portion for days oregon weeks.

This unit traps blistery aerial - similar the dome of a pizza oven oregon a lid connected a saucepan - and bakes the aerial and onshore beneath.

As the crushed parches, it absorbs vigor - making conditions hotter still.

The dome of precocious unit besides blocks retired clouds and cooler air, resulting successful wide skies and persistent heat.

Find retired the latest forecast for your area

What effect is the vigor dome having connected the UK - and however agelong could it last?

The existent vigor dome is hovering crossed astir of Europe, portion the UK sits conscionable connected the cusp of it.

That means the aforesaid precocious unit bringing positive 40C (104F) temperatures to confederate Europe is besides roasting confederate and eastbound England connected Monday and Tuesday.

Temperatures had been expected to deed 34C (93.2F) successful London and the South East connected Monday. They peaked astatine 33.1C astatine Heathrow.

But, these regions are owed to sweat done a "tropical night" connected Monday evening - erstwhile temperatures bash not driblet beneath 20C (68F), making it overmuch harder to sleep.

Northern and occidental Britain beryllium extracurricular the country of precocious pressure, hence conditions determination are cooler and wetter.

The vigor volition beryllium pushed distant to the South East connected Tuesday night, arsenic a acold beforehand moves done southeastern England.

Cooler aerial has already started to determination into the North West, bringing rain, and that volition determination crossed each of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland overnight, mostly clearing into bluish England later.

Tuesday volition beryllium blistery and humid successful the South again, but it volition beryllium cooler elsewhere.

Wednesday volition bring nearer mean temperatures, though inactive higher successful the South East.

Monday's forecast maximum temperatures

Image: Some of Monday's forecasted temperatures

Are vigor domes becoming much common?

The (scientific) assemblage is inactive out, says clime idiosyncratic Dr Michael Byrne, from the University of St Andrews.

"Some probe suggests vigor domes volition go much communal arsenic clime warms, with much predominant heatwaves arsenic a result" but determination is nary technological statement yet, helium says.

"But what is crystal wide is that clime alteration is loading the dice specified that erstwhile a vigor dome does occur, it brings hotter and much unsafe temperatures," helium adds.

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'Tropical nights' soar successful European hotspots

The 'game-changer'

While vigor domes are thing new, their much aggravated impacts are.

Europe is already much than 2C warmer than successful pre-industrial times, and the fastest warming continent successful the world, making each heatwave and vigor dome hotter than they would person been.

That's due to the fact that greenhouse gases released from burning fossil fuels are trapping much vigor successful the Earth's atmosphere, raising the mean temperatures.

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Dr Friederike Otto, a elder lecturer successful clime subject from Imperial College London, says: "Countless studies person shown that clime alteration is an implicit game-changer erstwhile it comes to vigor successful Europe, making heatwaves overmuch much frequent, particularly the hottest ones - and much intense."

Prof James Dyke, an adept successful clime subject from Exeter University, adds: "The lone mode to debar adjacent much utmost vigor is to rapidly signifier retired fossil fuels."

But we indispensable besides accommodate to the hotter world, experts say, which means making definite radical and buildings tin support chill to debar the unsafe broadside effects.

Baroness Brown, from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), told Sky News successful April: "It inactive seems to consciousness similar it's tomorrow's problem… and if we don't tackle it today, it becomes tomorrow's disaster."

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How does sunscreen support us?

The 'silent killer' and the broadside effects

Scientists telephone heatwaves the "silent killer" due to the fact that they thrust important excess deaths, peculiarly successful those who are already vulnerable.

They are besides unsafe for tiny children - whose tiny bodies vigor up faster - and large women, and risk premature births.

The broadside effects deed not conscionable our wellness but onshore and buildings too.

Heat fuels the conditions for wildfires, and tin origin crops, railways, and powerfulness lines to fail.

Dr Madeleine Thomson, from the Wellcome Trust, which supports wellness research, says we request a longer-term attack to coping with longer and hotter heat.

"The strategy of reacting to each situation is failing, and the subject tells america it volition get worse," she says.

"We request to displacement to proactive, accelerated and coordinated enactment to mitigate and accommodate to clime change.

"The tools exist. The grounds is clear. What's missing is the urgency. We indispensable enactment and we indispensable enactment now."

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