Technologies

A Historic Heat Dome Is Creeping Across the US. Here’s How to Prepare

After breaking heat records in 14 states, the heat wave pummeling the Southwest is moving eastward.

A massive heat wave has broken heat records in 14 states, including Arizona and California, reaching up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. Now it’s creeping eastward, according to the National Weather Service.

The heat wave is continuing its journey through the Midwestern United States and is projected to affect anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the 48 mainland states, National Weather Service meteorologist Gregg Gallina told The Associated Press. The highest temperatures recorded today are in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas — what the National Weather Service refers to as the Southern Rockies region. But the hot air is on the move.

The reason these high temperatures persist is the «heat dome» phenomenon, in which high pressure prevents hot air from rising, trapping it in a bubble above a region. As the dome of pressure moves, so too does the hot air — and right now, it’s barreling east.

The states that will be smothered by the heat dome in the coming days include those in the Southern and Central Plains regions. This means residents of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska can expect to sweat as the heat blankets them on its eastbound journey.

What the heat dome means for climate change and our health

According to Climate Central, the US has experienced rising blackout rates over the past 20 years, largely due to weather-related issues and an aging electrical grid.

As of August 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency states that heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the US. The World Health Organization reports that between 2000 and 2019, about 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred each year.

Fortunately, humidity levels are not as high during a summer heat wave. As humidity can contribute to dehydration, body strain and breathing difficulties, lower humidity makes this heat dome somewhat less dangerous for workers in affected areas.

The World Weather Attribution, an initiative formed by international climate change researchers and climate scientists, determined that the heat dome would be «virtually impossible without human-induced climate change.»

In a world where weather events like these cease to be impossibilities, you’ll want to prepare for future heat waves properly. Here’s how to stay safe during the heat dome.

How to prepare for the heat dome before it hits your state

There’s nothing you can do to beat the heat outside, aside from following heat safety best practices. You’ll just need to stay hydrated, wear breathable, light-colored clothing and wait out the potentially dangerous heat dome, which is expected to dissipate by the end of next week when April begins. But you can do things to batten down the hatches before the sweltering heat reaches your home.

Even if you don’t have much prep time, a couple of small items can make your home safer (and far more comfortable). Cooling towels, portable fans and countertop ice makers are must-haves during a heat wave, especially if you aren’t looking to crank the thermostat down and spend a pretty penny.

Heat waves are also extremely costly due to the sheer amount of energy used — it’s expensive to stay cool. Depending on your living situation, though, you might want to invest in heat pump installation. These HVAC system additions are extremely energy efficient, which means you can keep more money in your pocket while beating the heat.

During the middle of the heat wave, when everyone has their AC running, there’s also the potential for an early brownout (a temporary drop in electrical voltage, causing lighting to dim) or even a blackout (a complete loss of power). It’s common to feel helpless during power outages, but you can get ahead of the curve by preparing a summer blackout kit with portable chargers and alternative light sources before the heat wave hits.

Even if the historic heat wave doesn’t hit your home, these tips will help you prepare as the summer season bears down on the US in a couple of months.

Technologies

The BlackBerry-Esque Smartphone With a Full Keyboard Just Launched on Kickstarter

This Android smartphone with a tactile QWERTY keyboard has already raised over $2.1 million.

While today’s best phones are all glass touchscreens ripe for swiping, when nostalgia hits, all we want to do is get our fingers click-clacking on a BlackBerry’s tactile keyboard. Though BlackBerry discontinued its mobile line in 2016, phones with physical keyboards are making a comeback.

At Mobile World Congress 2026, CNET Mobile Managing Editor David Lumb got his hands on the Titan 2 Elite, an Android smartphone made by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Unihertz. It features a full backlit QWERTY keyboard that fits right in your pocket. On Tuesday, both the standard version and the Pro launched on Kickstarter, and have already exceeded the company’s $100,000 goal.

At the time of writing, over $2.1 million has been pledged by over 4,500 backers.

The Titan 2 Elite lets you customize its A-Z keyboard keys to create short- and long-press shortcuts that take you to different apps and assist with text editing. You can even use the keyboard to scroll and move your mouse, an upgrade from BlackBerry’s trackball. As for the red programmable side button, it can launch any app with one press.

To get your hands on an orange or black Titan 2 Elite, which is estimated to ship in June 2026, you have to pledge $396. This is discounted from the full price of $489 and is at least $403 cheaper than the iPhone 17. Shipping to the US is an extra $10.

For the Titan 2 Elite Pro, you have to pledge $486, plus shipping. Its full price is $579. The estimated delivery time is October 2026.

For both the standard and Pro phones, packages are available for couples, families (three devices), friends (five devices) and wholesale purchasers (10 devices).

The phones are currently in the process of being certified by Google, the FCC, the Conformité Européenne for EU Compliance, UK Conformity Assessed and Japan Approvals Institute for Telecommunications Equipment. These certifications are expected to be obtained by April, before trial and mass production occur in May.

The Elite vs. the Elite Pro

The Elite and Elite Pro differ only in power and storage. The standard Elite comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chip, while the Pro offers a Dimensity 8400. For storage, you get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage with the standard, and 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage with the Pro.

Despite rising prices in the memory market caused by AI-driven demand, Unihertz decided to stick with 12GB of RAM. The company says that this is why the Titan 2 Elite costs more than previous Unihertz devices launched on Kickstarter.

Both the standard and Pro versions have a 4.03-inch AMOLED screen, a 50-megapixel rear camera, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, a 4,050-mAh battery, dual-band GPS, fingerprint and face unlocking, Bluetooth 6.0, global 5G coverage and support for two physical SIM cards and an eSIM. You can even swap one of your SIMs for a microSD card, giving you 2TB of extra storage.

Both the Elite and Elite Pro will ship with Android 16 OS, for which Unihertz will give five years of update support and security patches until 2031.

Technologies

Apple May Give Siri a Big AI Overhaul in iOS 27

Apple is testing a standalone Siri app, a new interface and deeper AI features for this year’s software update, Bloomberg reports.

Apple may be planning one of the biggest changes to Siri since the voice assistant launched more than a decade ago. According to a report on Tuesday from Bloomberg, Apple is testing a standalone Siri app, a redesigned interface and a new «Ask Siri» button that would make the assistant more visible and useful across the Apple ecosystem, as part of a broader AI reboot.

According to the Bloomberg report, the new Siri experience is expected to be introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8 and would arrive as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and MacOS 27 later this year. The report says Apple is testing out a new Siri that would make the assistant feel more like a standalone AI chatbot — think ChatGPT or Claude — rather than the current built-in tool.

The latest report builds on earlier Bloomberg reporting from January, which said Apple planned to revamp Siri into its first real AI chatbot to better compete with OpenAI and Google.

For Apple, the move would mark another attempt to reset expectations around its AI strategy after repeated delays to its more advanced Siri ambitions. Apple had previewed a more personalized Siri at WWDC 2024, but the broader rollout has slipped, and Bloomberg’s new report suggests the company is now aiming for a more sweeping relaunch in iOS 27 instead.

Apple has not publicly announced these iOS 27 features, so plans could still change before WWDC.

An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 25, #1740

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 25, No. 1,740.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle begins with a letter I just never guess, but once you get that, it’s an easy one. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.