heat dome

noun

plural heat domes
: a large weather pattern characterized by high atmospheric pressure that collects and holds an unusual amount of heat over a particular area

Examples of heat dome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An unusually strong heat dome will scorch much of the western United States this weekend, bringing the hottest temperatures so far this year to tens of millions from California to Canada. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 But a larger chunk of the heat rises into the upper atmosphere, flows northward towards the North Pole and runs into our heat dome. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026 The increasing temperatures come courtesy of the slight expansion of a heat dome that has enveloped much of the central and southern Plains, the southern Rockies, the Desert Southwest and the upper Midwest. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 27 July 2026 Meteorologists said the sweltering weather was the result of another heat dome — a phenomenon in which atmospheric conditions trap heat, accentuating and prolonging already high temperatures. — ABC News, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for heat dome

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heat dome was in 1985

Rhymes for heat dome

See All Rhymes for heat dome

Browse Nearby Words

heat devil
heat dome
heated
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Cite this Entry

“Heat dome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20dome. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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