Dreading the ‘heat dome’

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing with reference to the news, ‘Europe bakes under 'heat dome'’, published on June 25.  I was left feeling I could never again complain about the weather being too cold after having suffered the unprecedented heatwave here in late June 2021, described by meteorologists as a ‘stalling dome’ of high heat, that resulted in 619 confirmed heat-related deaths.

According to AI Overview (on June 25): “The late June 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave was caused by an atmospheric ‘heat dome’—a persistent, high-pressure ridge that trapped hot air over the region like a lid. This stalling system shattered regional temperature records, with Lytton, British Columbia (B.C.) reaching an all-time Canadian high of 49.6 C.”

And I didn't even have a proper air conditioner back then; I only had a weaker system of temperature moderation known as evaporative cooling.

Then most of the province, including south-western B.C., suffered an unprecedented cold bunch of days the following January, which was described by meteorologists as a ‘stalling dome’ of freezing cold.

I doubt those extremes were just coincidental; rather, they are basically due to climate change via human-caused global warming via morbidly massive amounts of fossil fuel consumption ever since the Industrial Revolution.

FRANK STERLE JR.
White Rock, B.C.
Canada