It’s not just that it’s hotter—it’s that the conditions that trap heat are sticking around longer. Climate change raises the baseline temperature, so heatwaves start from a hotter point and take longer to cool down. At the same time, high-pressure systems can “park” over an area, trapping hot air and blocking cooler winds or rain from coming in. Add dry soils (which can’t cool the air through moisture) and heat-absorbing cities, and you get a feedback loop where heat builds and lingers instead of dissipating.
