It’s not summer yet, but more than 17 million people in the western United States are already under excessive heat warnings as temperatures climb 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average, with large swaths of California expecting to see thermometers hit 108F (42.2C). Meteorologists are saying the scorching weather is caused by a heat dome, when high pressure traps heat over an area, making it hotter the longer it lasts. The BBC has more.