Heat wave, dome, feather: the lexicon of great heat

Lhen it’s (too) hot, like the past few days, meteorologists don’t always use the same vocabulary to describe the current event. The heat wave is sometimes referred to as a heatwave, and attributed to a heat dome or heat plume. What is the difference ? Point explains everything to you.

The heat wave corresponds to abnormally high temperatures observed for several consecutive days. Thus, temperatures are compared to seasonal norms, which vary by region. A heat wave can be massive and affect a region of the world or be localized and affect a region of a country. It is the expression “catch-all” which is appropriate whatever the meteorological phenomenon at the origin of the heat stroke.