NBC News.The blast of heat could create a “ring of fire” pattern, in which storms circulating the edges of the heat dome spawn powerful thunderstorms, particularly over the northern Plains, Gottschalk told the network.“Our models indicate that this is going to be somewhat persistent through the first two weeks of July, and potentially longer,” he said.The stifling swelter comes as cases of the coronavirus — which attacks the respiratory system — are surging across the US, and continues a run of record temperatures around the globe.More on Fox News..