Feeling hot? You're not alone. The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for several regions across the U.S. last month, and heat this summer has the potential to impact millions of people, reported CNET. The primary culprit, weather experts say, is heat domes, which trap hot air and often increase the need for significant amounts of cooling.
According to NERC's 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment, much of the Midwest has the most potential to be impacted by heat this summer, along with some areas of New England and the southern U.S. Experts warn that power grid blackouts could occur.
What are heat domes?
Heat domes happen when hot air gets trapped in one area, similar to how a pan lid keeps hot air inside a pan to aid cooking.
"When a high-pressure area builds up within a jet stream, the air descends towards the surface and gets compressed towards the ground, forming a heat dome," according to ClimateCheck.
A heat dome can also cause an ongoing cycle of heat. The atmospheric heat within a heat dome can make the ground drier, potentially leading to even higher temperatures. This happens because energy from the sun goes directly toward heating things up rather than toward evaporating water in the ground, per Climate.gov.
Why are heat domes and surging grid demand a problem?
During heat waves, people usually resort to bumping up their cooling efforts to counteract outdoor heat inside their homes and offices. It takes extra energy to do that, and that energy often relies on the power grid.
"Peak demand is forecast to increase across all 23 assessment areas by 10 GW — more than double the increase from 2023 to 2024," the NERC said in a press release.
When households across the country use extra energy to cool their homes, the power grid may not be able to keep up. Rolling blackouts could be the result, meaning people would be unable to run their air conditioners or keep food cold in their refrigerators and freezers.
How solar energy helps with heat domes and surging grid demands
Solar energy can operate without the power grid, so it's an excellent way to make your home more resilient in the face of blackouts. It can also save you money on energy costs while helping to lower planet-overheating pollution by cutting carbon pollution.
According to Solar.com, pollution from rooftop solar is about 12 times lower than that of gas power and around 20 times lower than coal-based energy. While generating electricity from the sun doesn't cause pollution, the manufacturing process accounts for some.
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