Ducting into Chaos: How Heat Waves are Disrupting Communications The midwest's sweltering heat wave has brought more than just oppressive humidity and record breaking temperatures – it's also unleashed a phenomenon that's causing radio signals to travel hundreds of miles, triggering emergency sirens in the process.
The culprit behind these strange occurrences is tropospheric ducting, a weather related atmospheric condition that allows radio waves to bounce through "tunnels" in the sky.
Radio signals are an essential lifeline during emergencies, and when they're disrupted, lives can hang in the balance.