Rare heat burst in Nebraska produced a massive temperature spike

Earlier in the week, a heat burst was spotted on the TemperatureRadar in western Nebraska in the US.

The TemperatureRadar shows temperatures surging nearly 10°C (20°F) within a two-hour period between midnight and 2 am local time in western Nebraska early on Tuesday 30th July.

This is called a heat burst, and is a relatively rare weather event. They are characterised by a sudden and localised increase in temperature.

They typically occur during the night-times of late spring or summer and are associated with decaying thunderstorms.

When a thunderstorm is dying and there is not enough precipitation falling or the air is too dry, the precipitation evaporates before reaching the surface.

The air falls quickly and warms by compression, resulting in a downburst; a blast of hot, dry wind reaching the surface.

This can lead to strong, gusty winds, alongside a sudden air temperature spike and plummet in dew point temperature.