Deadly heat wave shatters records in Northeast
After sweltering heat drove temperatures to record-shattering levels across the Northeast on Sunday, July 24, amid the region's longest-lasting heat wave of the summer, the end of the extreme heat could soon be within reach for some cities.
Up until last week, the heat across the Northeast had arrived in short bursts, lasting a day or, in some cases, barely meeting the three days of temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit required to qualify as a heat wave.
"Most of the hot spells so far this summer, up until this one, have been more short-duration, very brief," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said. At the beginning of last week as the heat wave set in, driving temperatures into the 90s day after day.
The heat set in for cities like Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey, on Monday, July 18, with others seeing the start of the heat wave on Tuesday as temperatures eclipsed 90 degrees, according to Dombek.
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Sylvia Carrasquillo reacts as she sits in front of an open fire hydrant in The Bronx section of New York, Friday, July 22, 2022. Dangerously high temperatures threatened much of the Northeast and the South as millions of Americans sought comfort from air-conditioners, fire hydrants, fountains and cooling centers. The heat wave is expected to extend into the weekend. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) |
At least two heat-related deaths were reported in the Northeast amid the heat wave, according to The Associated Press. The New York City Medical Examiner's office confirmed one person had died as a result of heat exposure on Saturday, a day when temperatures had reached 95 degrees. The person had heart disease and emphysema, which contributed to the death, according to the office.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, a 73-year-old man died of heat-related complications Thursday, NBC Philadelphia reported. The mercury had reached 97 degrees that day with the NWS office in Mount Holly, the office that covers Allentown, warning the day would be "the hottest and most humid day of the heat wave" up to that point.
At the peak of the heat wave on Sunday, sweltering heat drove temperatures to meet or surpass daily high-temperature records across at least 14 stations in the Northeast.
Among these sites was the Newark Liberty International Airport which recorded a temperature of 102 degrees, easily surpassing the old record of 99 degrees set back in 2010. Sunday was also the fifth consecutive day that the airport recorded a high temperature at or above 100 degrees, the longest streak since records began in 1931.
To the northeast, the Boston Logan International Airport hit 100 degrees for the first time since June 30, 2021, on Sunday.
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Behind Newark and Boston, Philadelphia recorded one of the highest temperatures on Sunday at 99 degrees. In response to the extremely hot conditions, the city extended the Heat Health Emergency declaration through Monday evening. Boston also expanded its own heat emergency through Monday.
Other cities that saw record-challenging heat on Sunday include Providence, Rhode Island; Albany, New York; and Hartford, Connecticut. All of these cities excluding Hartford surpassed their old record, with the records in Providence and Boston dating back to 1933.
In the MLB game Sunday at Camden Yards in Baltimore where the home team played the New York Yankees, the players sought out ways to stay cool while out on the field. After the sixth inning, Baltimore Orioles head trainer Brian Ebel wrapped a wet towel around home plate umpire Scott Barry's head to help him cool down.
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Baltimore Orioles head trainer Brian Ebel, left, helps home plate umpire Scott Barry get relief with a wet towel around his head after the sixth inning of a baseball game between the Orioles and the New York Yankees, Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Baltimore. The Yankees won 6-0. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) |
In New York City, residents faced nearly triple-digit temperatures on Sunday as La Guardia Airport tied its daily high-temperature record of 98 degrees. The record was set in 1999 and last met in 2010.
The Big Apple failed to break a single daily record high during the heat wave, however, and the temperature at Central Park was just two degrees shy of the record on Sunday. The high climbed to 95 degrees, keeping the previous record of 97 degrees set in 2010 for the date intact.
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Residents from New York Times Square workers to people out walking their dogs sought out ways to stay cool in the heat, including sticking to the shade and breaking out plastic pools.
"[The animals] can overheat quickly, and you might not even notice it," NYC resident Sheila Lee told AFP TV, highlighting the added danger that they could burn their paws on the hot pavement.
Pavement may be too hot to safely walk a dog if the temperature is 85 degrees or over without a chance for the pavement to cool down, according to the American Kennel Club.
By Monday, thunderstorms rolled into the region, bringing with them thunderstorms and cloud cover. Atlantic City received over three inches of rain through Monday evening, with instances of flash flooding reported in the area as a result.
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While the storms won't be enough to bring a major cooldown to the area, temperatures have already fallen short of 90 degrees in some locations, including New York City. However, 90 degree temperatures stuck around Monday in Philadelphia, Boston and Newark; among others.
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