Did Global Warming Cause the Heat Dome?
Global warming contributes to all major weather events.
The air today contains more moisture that it did in the 20th century. Greenhouse gases, caused by the burning of coal, wood and oil, trap the sun’s heat, warming the air, evaporating more water and trapping more moisture in the air.
This combination of warmer air and more humidity contributes to heat waves. Paradoxically, this increase in moisture laden air can also create monster snowstorms, something that would be welcome just now in much of the US.
How much of the current heat wave was caused by greenhouse gases? One degree? Three degrees? More? Scientists still find it hard to attribute a specific percentage of each heat wave to global warming, similar to a police officer at an accident scene only being able to list alcohol as a contributing factor.
But like high levels of blood alcohol, high levels of CO2 in the air contribute to the severity of heat waves. Over the next 20 years, there will be more of these once-in-100-year events that no longer wait 100 years to reoccur.
