Expert issues severe warning to US ahead of 'mega heat dome' with temperatures that could 'melt your face off'

An expert has warned of a coming 'mega heat dome' which is predicted to scorch the US during Fourth of July celebrations.

One state in particular is set to bear the brunt of this weather phenomenon, becoming 'ground zero' for the extreme heat.

A heat dome is a weather phenomenon where heat is unable to escape as hot air is trapped.

With air not circulating around a location, the heat continues to intensify within the dome, resulting in very high temperatures.

It can be caused by a large area of high pressure which remains stationary for an unusually long time, preventing the hot air from dissipating or moving on.

This latest heat dome is expected to fall over large parts of the eastern and central US leading up the Fourth of July.

Parts of the US are predicted a scorching Fourth of July (Getty Stock)

However, meteorologist Ryan Maue has advised that the state likely to feel the brunt of this heat will be North Carolina in a post on social media.

Taking to X, he wrote: "North Carolina will be ground zero for the upcoming 'mega heat dome' over the Eastern US into the July 4th weekend."

Temperatures are predicted to rise to a ludicrous 90F for some 271 million people across the US by July 3.

Maue is not alone in his prediction, with AccuWeather warning that from late June and moving into July highs will move into 90F.

However, the humidity could make the heat feel as high as 105F once this is taken into account.

AccuWeather meteorologists have also shared a warning for coming high temperatures across the US for the Fourth of July weekend.

A heat dome traps hot air in one place (Getty Stock)

Alex Sosnowski is a meteorologist with AccuWeather, and said in a statement shared with the Daily Mail: "A multiday heat wave is brewing across the middle of the nation ahead of the Fourth of July weekend, expanding from the Plains to the Midwest and even nosing into the East."

One of the effects of a heat dome is that it also forces the air trapped inside it down to a lower level.

Heat normally rises, but when it's forced back down to the ground this can result in temperatures being pushed even higher than they normally would be.

That could result in dangerous temperatures, with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publishing advice about dangerously high temperatures in a 'heat index'.

This explains how the relative heat and humidity can work together, with a lower temperature feeling hotter during higher humidity, meaning that it could still pose a danger to health.