
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
10:26 AM – Monday, July 13, 2026
A widespread and dangerous heat dome has reached its peak, blanketing the region and placing roughly 40 million people on high alert in the western United States. Meteorologists say the extreme weather could last for a week or longer, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday, weather experts warned of the dangers associated with extreme heat, while asserting that even during the summer months, temperatures this high are “exceptionally rare” in some states.
The most hazardous impacts of the heat dome—a weather pattern that traps intense heat over an area—were felt across the northern Plains, the Rockies and parts of the Southwestern desert, according to CBS News. The National Weather Service warned that dangerous heat conditions could spread eastward and could linger for at least a week.
Even nighttime won’t offer relief, warned Josh Adam, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota.
“The heat doesn’t necessarily stop when it’s dark out,” Adam said, noting that the city is bracing for temperatures topping 100°F through Tuesday—a dramatic spike for a state where summer averages typically hover in the 80s.
Last week’s intense western heat wave has evolved into the massive heat dome, threatening to push temperatures between 105°F and 115°F The extreme weather is expected to break records, fuel wildfire risks and trigger heat-related illnesses.
“Extremely hot daytime highs combined with potentially record-warm lows will result in increasing heat stress over the next several days due to limited relief,” the weather service warned in an advisory.
Forecasters have urged residents in the affected areas to stay hydrated and seek air-conditioned spaces, warning that temperatures—even overnight—will soar 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
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