Hot ROC: How the humidity is helping give us fevered feelings
UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Rochester and the surrounding area that will be in effect Friday from noon to 8 p.m. Heat index values are expected to rise into the upper 90s, which could cause heat illnesses to occur. People are advised to drink fluids, stay out of the sun and seek out places with air conditioning.
ROCHESTER — DeeDee Omititi wants you to know she is not complaining about the summer sunshine.
She is grateful for health and warmth and community.
"Beautiful breeze," she said earlier this week as the heat index in some places reached into the 90s. "We woke up this morning, thank you, Jesus. Whatever weather you give us — it doesn't matter. Thank you, Jesus."
Sitting under an umbrella in front of the handsome housing complex that she is appreciative for, Omititi can't knock the weather in a city that sees — or saw in the past, at least — a short warm season.
"It's a beautiful day," she said, settling the matter.
The Northeast has been heating up this summer and slightly most summers on average for decades.
Wednesday hit a RealFeel temperatures in the mid-90s, according to Accuweather, and Friday was forecast for the same range.
Weather experts think Thursday will be a touch cooler, with a chance of thunderstorms.
HEAT ADVISORY? From the National Weather Service on Wednesday night, a prediction of more rain and wind on Thursday. Plus: "The combination of heat and high humidity on Friday may lead to apparent temperatures of 95 to 100. This may eventually necessitate the issuance of heat advisories as we draw closer to Friday."
Taking heat-island temperatures in New York State, Northeast
The Democrat & Chronicle is talking to people about the heat this summer, as global warming from the burning of fossil fuels elevates the temperature. Recent years have been particularly getting hotter in parts of the United States and globally. 2023 is burning down records for heat and climate crisis disaster in many parts of the world.
The Northeast has been often spared this summer, but western New York has been hot and humid this week. And experts caution that people in regions not used to elevated temperatures can suffer more disastrous health outcomes than you might expect, because they are not acclimated to triple-digit heat index.
Even though Rochester may have been in the 90s in most places on the RealFeel scale in the middle of the day this week (in the shade), you are supposed to add 15 degrees to that as a rule of thumb for people and animals in the sun.
And the urban heat island effect, powered by manmade surfaces like asphalt plus racist historical decisions about where people could live and work, captures and stores heat that makes many small areas of the city even hotter than most spots.
So in addition to the heat reporting being done for the Perilous Course project in our USA TODAY Network, we'd also love to know if you suggest a place where we could capture a field reading this summer. The data is not perfectly accurate, but most areas do not have weather instrumentation — so rough readings by our journalists are one way to guide the conversation around environmental justice and climate crisis with new information.
Scientists saw it coming: Climate crisis amid global warming
As far back as the early 1900s, scientists were thinking about global warming. After a few decades, they connected it to manmade emissions. Apparently, Exxon's researchers knew a lot about it, too, said a recent analysis in Science.
This recent string of summers with much deadlier heat was foreseen also. Here's one citation that goes even further out, to the future we are building before the end of the century. From the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a 2019 report:
If we fail to reduce heat-trapping emissions, by late in this century, Monroe County would experience an average of 19 days per year with a heat index above 105°F.
This includes 2 days with an off-the-charts heat index.
Health risks become extreme as heat index rises above 105°F. At a heat index above 105°F, even healthy adults are at risk of heat-related illness or even death.
At the D&C, we plan to continue reporting on summer heat and climate crisis. Please see our contact information below for the Perilous Course project. The temporary good news is that next week is supposed to be cooler.
And DeeDee Omititi will be enjoying the weather.
The Democrat & Chronicle is investigating the effects of a rapidly heating planet on people who live in our city. Follow along with "City on Fire" as we report the struggle with summer temperatures caused by climate crisis. This is part of the USA TODAY project Perilous Course. Contact journalist William Ramsey at wramseyiii@gannett.com to be included in a story if you have been affected by heat: expense of air conditioning or lack of it, health risks, less access to green space, concern about pets and animals in the summer conditions, worry about an older loved one, etc.
Ramsey is a Northeast regional journalist who works with New York State reporters in Gannett, based out of Virginia — but also traveling to Rochester for reporting.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Rochester NY finally forecast for hot summer weather. Is it a good thing?
