"Do you really know?" is Bababam's daily podcast, which helps you understand the words, acronyms, and concepts that are making the news every day. From December 6th to 20th, discover the words that have left their mark on the year, with our 2021 Retrospective. From the "Pandora Papers" affair to the "#QuitMyJob" hashtag and of course the "Long Covid" condition, (re)discover these words that sum up 2021.

What is a heat dome? Thanks for asking!

The Pacific north-west is typically a mild region when it comes to weather. But in late June, Western Canada experienced record temperatures, with the province of British Columbia hit particularly hard. Temperatures are usually around 21° on the Pacific coast, but reached 49.5°C in Lytton, a village around 100 miles to the North-east of Vancouver.

Cities on the other side of the border weren’t spared either, with Portland and Seattle both seeing their respective record temperatures smashed. We’re used to talk of heatwaves, but observers have labelled the latest situation a heat dome.

What’s the science behind these extreme temperatures? How dangerous is the heat dome? To what extent are heat domes due to climate change? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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