heat dome

It was the result of a large area of high pressure getting "stuck" over Europe – dubbed a "heat dome" by some - and high temperatures are becoming increasingly common in the UK.

While this heatwave is a result of a large area of high pressure getting "stuck" over Europe – dubbed a "heat dome" by some - high temperatures are becoming increasingly common in the UK.

They've been triggered by an area of high pressure getting "stuck" over Europe, known as a heat dome.

While extreme heat waves can be caused by any number of factors, this particular one is thanks to a phenomenon called a heat dome: a ridge of atmospheric pressure that settles over a region like, well, a dome.

High pressure systems in the upper atmosphere typically drive all of California’s major heat waves, creating a lid over an area as air sinks — a phenomenon sometimes referred to as a heat dome — which prevents hot air from rising, essentially trapping it.