A heat dome affects Egypt for the first time this year, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius in the southern desert.

Arab Weather - God willing, Egypt is expected to be further affected by the heat dome phenomenon for the first time this year on Saturday, which will be accompanied by the development of a blazing center that will significantly raise temperatures to reach the high forties. But what is the heat dome phenomenon, and what will the weather look like on Saturday?

First: What is the heat dome phenomenon?

A heat dome is a climatic phenomenon that results from a high-pressure area in the upper atmosphere that heats the air in the lower atmosphere due to a dynamic process called "heating under pressure." As the air in a specific area is compressed under the influence of a high-pressure area in the upper atmosphere, a hot surface air mass is created, the intensity of which varies depending on the area, the intensity of the high-pressure area, and also depending on the period of its formation during the year.

The high pressure traps the hot air like a lid on a boiling pot. As the hot air expands vertically in the atmosphere, the high pressure pushes it back toward the ground. The air is compressed again under the high pressure area, causing it to gain more heat. This is known scientifically as heating under pressure.

A heat dome can cause temperatures to rise much higher than normal. Furthermore, the ground begins to warm, lose moisture, and the risk of wildfires increases. Urban areas and urban sprawl further exacerbate the heat dome's impact, as cities absorb and store heat, unlike urban and rural areas.

Extremely hot and exhausting weather accompanies the first impact of the heat dome on Egypt on Saturday.

Weather experts at the Arab Weather Center said that the high pressure system will intensify over the country on Saturday, accompanied by an increase in heating of the very hot air mass, so that temperatures will rise again to be 10-12 degrees Celsius higher than their average for this time of year. The weather will be very hot in various regions of the country, and the heat will increase the further south we go, making the weather blazing in those regions.

Arab Weather experts are monitoring computer modeling indicating that the southern regions, especially Aswan and its surrounding areas and the border areas, will be exposed to scorching air currents with record temperatures that may reach 50 degrees Celsius. These regions are expected to record temperatures ranging between 47-48 degrees Celsius, while computer modeling senses temperatures ranging between 42-44 degrees Celsius in the rest of the regions, including the northern part of Lower Egypt and neighborhoods of Greater Cairo, God willing.

And God knows best.