The latest on extreme weather in the US

By Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Jason Hanna, Mike Hayes and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 6:41 p.m. ET, June 14, 2022
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9:19 a.m. ET, June 14, 2022

What is a heat dome?

From CNN's Judson Jones

The reason behind the extremely high temperatures is an area of high pressure creating a clear lid over the Western US. The lid will trap any escaping radiation and send it back to the ground, while the sun's rays continue to penetrate through.

It's called a heat dome, and here's how it forms:

  1. High pressure acts as a lid on the atmosphere
  2. As hot air tries to escape, the lid causes it to sink
  3. The air is forced to warm even more as it sinks

This heat dome began last week in the Southwest and slowly shifted over to the eastern US, where heat and humidity are climbing together to levels that will significantly impact the human body.

Learn more about heat domes in this video here.

9:57 a.m. ET, June 14, 2022

More than 500,000 customers currently without power are also facing extreme heat today

From CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller

More than 500,000 utility customers who are currently without power because of yesterday’s severe weather in the Midwest and the Ohio River Valley are also under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories for today, according to analysis from CNN Weather using power outage numbers from PowerOutage.us.

Nearly 300,000 of them are in Ohio, with the rest being in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia. Key cities impacted include Cincinnati, Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Locations in the heat alert areas will see dangerous heat indices between 100 and 110 degrees this afternoon, which can turn deadly for those without access to air conditioning.

8:24 a.m. ET, June 14, 2022

Several cities across the US are setting new temperature records

From CNN's Judson Jones

Daily high temperature records were set across several cities Monday afternoon. Here are a few:

  • Columbia, South Carolina, reached an afternoon high of 103 degrees, breaking their old June 13 record of 102 degrees, set in 1958
  • North Platte, Nebraska, hit 108 degrees, breaking their old record of 103 degrees set in 1952
  • St. Louis, Missouri, hit 100 degrees, breaking their old record of 98 degrees set in 1952
  • Charlotte, North Carolina, hit 98 degrees, breaking their old record of 97 degrees set in 1958
  • Nashville, Tennessee, hit 97 degrees, tying the previous record of 97 degrees set in 2016
  • Jackson, Kentucky, hit 94 degrees, the previous record was 91 degrees in 2000
  • Asheville, North Carolina, hit 92 degrees; the previous record was 91 degrees in 2016
8:26 a.m. ET, June 14, 2022

Hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest as millions endure dangerous heat

From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe

Severe storms that moved across the Upper Midwest and the Ohio River Valley left more than 620,000 customers without power early Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.us, with more than 370,000 outages in Ohio alone.

Thunderstorms prompted a tornado warning in Chicago during the busy evening rush hour as wind gusts of up to 84 mph buffeted the city.

The same storm system brought lashing winds and rain to portions of western Ohio, Michigan and northern Indiana, generating more than 200 wind reports in the region, including a 98 mph gust in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

A heat dome that enveloped the Southwest in heat and humidity last week shifted to the central US and put more than 125 million people in the region under heat advisories.

That's more than one third of the US population enduring potentially dangerous heat levels.

Several cities set temperature records Monday afternoon, including Asheville, North Carolina, St. Louis and Nashville. In North Platte, Nebraska, the temperature rocketed to a record 108 degrees.

The heat will continue to travel northeast into the upper Mississippi Valley, western Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, and it will continue to build Tuesday over the southern Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

More than 100 million people are under some sort of heat alert Tuesday.

Excessive heat forecasts forced some schools in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin to announce that classes will be canceled, close early or move online this week.

Even after this heat dome subsides, relief could be short-lived. Heat waves will become increasingly common and more severe, experts say.

"Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves around the world, tilting the scale in the direction of warmer temperatures," CNN meteorologist and climate expert Brandon Miller explained.

"In the United States, record high temperatures are now well more than twice as likely to occur compared to record low temperatures," according to the US National Climate Assessment.

8:19 a.m. ET, June 14, 2022

Unprecedented flooding conditions shutter Yellowstone National Park to public and leave locals trapped

From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe

Yellowstone National Park will remain closed to visitors through at least Wednesday due to dangerous flooding conditions, which have prompted park evacuations and left some in surrounding communities trapped without safe drinking water, officials announced Monday afternoon.

"Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues," Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement Monday.

A road in Yellowstone National Park partially collapsed due to flooding Monday.

The Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several Park County cities, swelled to a record high Monday due to recent heavy rainfall and significant runoff from melting snow in higher elevations, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

The Yellowstone River gauge at Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows. "The river is still rising near Livingston, and it is expected to crest between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday," Park County officials said on Facebook.

Some are evacuated while others remain trapped

As several roads and bridges are rendered impassable by floodwaters, park and county officials are working to evacuate whoever they can and provide support to those who are unable to leave.

The Park County Sheriff's Department issued a shelter in place order until 7 a.m. Monday for those south of mile marker 52.5 on US Highway 89 South, the Facebook post said.

The National Guard and local search and rescue teams were assisting with evacuations and rescues throughout the county, including two air lifts and one swift water rescue, the county said.

Multiple communities in Park County are isolated and surrounded by water, including Gardiner, Cooke City and Silver Gate, an update on the county Facebook page said. Quickly rushing floodwaters have also damaged homes, as images show houses either partially or fully collapsing.

In neighboring Carbon County, Montana, flooding compromised utility service lines, leaving many customers in Red Lodge without power, officials said.

Meanwhile, several roads and bridges in Yellowstone have also been compromised by flooding, park officials say. Videos released by the park show portions of paved road washed out or severely eroded.

CNN's Sara Smart, Claudia Dominguez, Raja Razek, Brandon Miller and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

Read the full report here.