BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) While record heat has scorched parts of Europe and a heat dome is expected to bring soaring temperatures to the East Coast and Midwest, Kern County has seen relatively mild weather for this time of year.
Heat domes form when a high-pressure system strengthens with height, creating what meteorologists call a “warm-core ridge.”
David Roth of the National Weather Service described it as “a high-pressure system that strengthens with height.”
Heat dome to scorch East Coast, Midwest as Kern County stays unusually mild (Photo: AdobeStock)
Roth said the high-pressure setup also limits cloud development.
“But what happens is that it suppresses cloud formation. So, any like clouds or showers or clouds that you might get in the afternoon are gone,” he said.
Even as the eastern U.S. braces for hotter conditions, Chief Meteorologist Ilya Neyman said the South Valley is currently benefiting from a different pattern.
“We are in the middle of a seesaw weather pattern. One side of the seesaw is down, and the other side will be up. But the downside is actually the upside for us because we are not under the heat,” Neyman said.
Heat dome to scorch East Coast, Midwest as Kern County stays unusually mild (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Neyman said the region is under a trough, with cooler air dominating the West, while a ridge builds elsewhere.
“Contrast that to the ridge that is building up and pumping up all of the heat from the south all the way up to the north and eventually all the way to the east,” he said.
Neyman said recent temperatures have been well below what is typical for this time of year. “Our highs are coming in as much as ten degrees or more cooler than the average for this time of the year,” he said.
“By the way, Bakersfield typically this time of year, 96. Yesterday’s high? 84.”
Heat dome to scorch East Coast, Midwest as Kern County stays unusually mild (AP Photo/Paul White, File)
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Neyman said the cooler stretch may not last and that higher temperatures could still be headed to the area.