13th July 2021
CPI: Inflation in June
In June the inflation remained largely unchanged at 6.3%, which is outside the stipulated inflation range by the Monetary policy committee.
Reasons for the increase in inflation:
Continuously increasing Petroleum prices, fuel and light inflation.
Increase in food inflation from 2% to 5%, led by increase in prices in oils and fats
What is a heat dome?
As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of United States department of commerce, a heat dome occurs when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air like a lid or cap.
News: Canada and various parts of the United States are experiencing extreme temperatures sometimes reaching upto 49-50 degrees Celsius, due to which hundreds of people have died. The extreme heat weather is due to heat dome, a climate phenomenon behind sudden rise in temperatures.
How does it occur?
It begins when there is a strong change (or gradient) in ocean temperatures. In the process of convection, the gradient causes more warm air, heated by the ocean surface, to rise over the ocean surface.
As prevailing winds move the hot air east, the northern shifts of the jet stream trap the air and move it toward land, where it sinks, resulting in heat waves, it further said.
How Long Does it Last?
Many weather scientists and organisations such as NOAA have studied these climatic changes and concluded that a heat dome typically lasts a week.
They said that its formation becomes too big to keep standing and falls over, releasing the trapped air and ending the sweltering.