\/<\/span> Heat waves, like the heat dome over the South in July 2022, can hit outdoor workers especially hard.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn addition, global warming leads to changes in how the atmosphere and ocean move. The temperature difference between the equator and the poles is the driving force for global wind. As the polar regions warm at much higher rates than the equator, the reduced temperature difference causes a weakening of global winds and leads to a more meandering jet stream<\/a>.<\/p>\nSome of these changes can create conditions such as persistent high-pressure systems and atmospheric blocking that bring more intense heat waves. The heat domes<\/a> over the Southern Plains and South in June and in the West in September were both examples.<\/p>\n
![\"Rain](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/yellowstone-flood-800x600.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1\")
![Enlarge<\/a> \/<\/span> Rain and fast snowmelt sent the Yellowstone River and nearby streams raging beyond their banks in June 2022.<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n](\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/yellowstone-flood.jpg\"){kind=link}