Did climate change cause this heat wave? Most likely, and here's why

More than 80 million people are under an Extreme Heat Warning or Heat Advisory through this week, according to the National Weather Service . Forecasters at the service's Weather Prediction Center called this latest heat dome a "steamy air-mass even by mid-to-late August standards."

Dangerous record-breaking heat will continue across the South-Central U.S. and expand into the Southwest by mid-week, bringing daytime temperatures into the triple digits . Much of the desert Southwest, including parts of Arizona and New Mexico, could also break heat records, according to the National Weather Service .

Weather The days are hot, but so are the nights. That's a problem, experts say As the senior climate editor at NPR, I often send out guidance to the NPR newsroom during extreme weather to help other editors and reporters understand the role of climate change.

Now, as large regions of the U.S. are under threats from dangerous heat, you might be looking for that same context and information.

PLUS: Scroll to the bottom of this article where you can ask us questions about about climate change and its influence on extreme weather.

This latest heat wave is expected to remain over much of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley through the middle of this week, bringing temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Southwest will continue to warm through the end of the week where daytime highs could be upwards of 110 degrees or more.

Living Better Going outside in this heat? Follow these guidelines to stay safe It's not just the daytime temperatures that are high. The nights won't cool down , according to the National Weather Service . These prolonged high temperatures coupled with little relief overnight increase the risk of heat-related illnesses.

Scientists are increasingly able to make the connection between the extreme weather you're experiencing — in this case, heat — and climate change. They can also show by just how much. NPR's Rebecca Hersher has reported that the climate signal is especially strong with heat. She interviewed Michael Wehner, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he studies extreme weather and the impact climate change has on that weather.

"For garden variety heat waves — like the hottest day of the year, or the hottest day every 10 years — in the U.S., climate change has increased that heat wave's temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit," Wehner explained.

Weather As extreme heat grips the South and West, here's how to stay safe As journalists, we turn to trusted sources, such as the National Climate Assessment and the World Weather Attribution — an international network of scientists — to help us report on extreme weather, and the impact of climate change. It starts with having credible sources of information such as the National Weather Service as well as peer-reviewed science.