Heat Dome in Europe: Could It Happen in Chile?

A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure area acts as an atmospheric cap, preventing hot air from dispersing, compressing it towards the surface, and maintaining elevated temperatures for several days. This phenomenon explains the extensive heat wave currently affecting Europe.

According to Patricio González Colville, an academic from the Research and Transfer Center for Irrigation and Agroclimatology (CITRA) at the University of Talca, this warm high-pressure dome is characterized by descending winds over the continent, which trap and elevate temperatures.

Additionally, he noted its origins lie in Africa, specifically in the Sahara region, from where it migrated and settled over the European continent.

However, the expert warned that the risk is not just in the extreme daytime highs; when nighttime temperatures do not drop sufficiently, the human body loses its ability to recover, increasing risks for the elderly, chronic patients, children, and workers exposed to the heat.

Moreover, many cities and homes are designed to retain heat during cold winters, not to dissipate excess heat during prolonged heat episodes.

According to data from EuroMOMO, a European mortality monitoring network, the heat wave in the old continent was associated with over 10,000 deaths during the last week of June, with more than 9,000 victims aged 65 or older, the most vulnerable group during such events.

The academic specified that heat domes are not entirely new phenomena, but they are now manifesting with greater intensity due to climate change, explaining, «according to models, this has contributed to increasing temperatures by 3 to 4 degrees beyond what was typical in the 20th century.»

Could Something Similar Happen in Chile?

The academic commented that a phenomenon comparable to the European heat dome is unlikely in Chile, due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the cold Humboldt Current, which regulate part of the country’s temperatures.

«It is very difficult for us to have heat domes because our continent is more oceanic than continental, and Europe is just the opposite,» stated the agroclimatologist from the University of Talca.

However, Professor Patricio González cautioned that this does not mean Chile is free from extreme events. In the central region, heat waves are often associated with warm high pressures and descending crosswinds from the mountains, especially in January and February, when temperatures can exceed 38 or 39 degrees, albeit for shorter periods.

«Fortunately, we have a cold current, the Humboldt, we are oceanic, but that doesn’t mean that suddenly some crosswind, a high pressure in January and February, or a spike in temperature due to global warming could lead to a couple of days exceeding 38 or 39 degrees,» the specialist explained.

Risks to Agriculture

From an agricultural perspective, the academic warned that these episodes also pose risks.

«Temperatures over 33 or 34 degrees can adversely affect productive processes in fruit crops, such as photosynthesis and fruit quality, a significant concern for agricultural regions like Maule, in addition to increasing daily evapotranspiration rates, which in turn escalates water requirements for more frequent irrigation in a climate where rainfall is decreasing,» he specified.

Therefore, the expert urged monitoring future heat waves as indicators of a climatic scenario that demands preventive strategies, such as adapting current living conditions in urban centers alongside productive planning in rural areas.

We will continue to provide updates.

La entrada Heat Dome in Europe: Could It Happen in Chile? se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.