heat dome

noun

plural heat domes

: a large weather pattern characterized by high atmospheric pressure that collects and holds an unusual amount of heat over a particular area

Examples of heat dome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Further south, the San Joaquin Valley will be much hotter as a heat dome sits over Southern California and Arizona. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026

This summer, the Steel City has seen wildfire smoke from Canada, unusually hot temperatures due to heat domes and severe weather that's brought tornadoes to neighboring counties. — Mariyam Muhammad, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

An upper-level ridge of high pressure acted as a heat dome over much of Europe. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Together, these effects have set the stage for the fierce summers, destructive wildfires, and suffocating heat domes that now threaten Europe’s health, culture, and economy. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heat dome

• biome
• genome
• nichrome
• noisome
• prodrome
• radome
• rhizome
• shalom
• syndrome
• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb