Scorching temperatures swept the Northeast on Sunday in the first prolonged heatwave of the summer, with record five consecutive days in triple digits in Newark and sweltering heat in Boston; Proving, RI; and Manchester, SMALL
Other parts of the country were stifling as well, with Oklahoma’s tolerable temperatures hitting 100 degrees for nine of the past 11 days.
Baking temperatures underscore the stark reality that such dangerous temperatures are becoming the norm in the summer for the United States and elsewhere, with heat wave, Forest fires and drought interrupt daily life across the globe.
Heatwaves in the United States have increased from an average of two per year in the 1960s to six per year in the 2010s. The past seven years have been the warmest in recorded history worldwide. gender.
The Northeast’s heat wave hit some of the country’s most densely populated corridors, sending people scrambling to get help. In New York City, temperatures were just at record highs Sunday afternoon, hitting 94 in Central Park, as lines formed at the city’s pools, though many faced the heat. shortage of lifeguards.
William Jimenez, 59, took his 13-year-old son to the Crotona Park pool in the Bronx earlier in the day, knowing the site would be demolished later.
“The weather is getting hotter and hotter,” he said. “The best thing is being in the pool and the park.”
Elsewhere in the Bronx, many streets have turned into paved water parks, thanks to exposed fire hydrants spilling onto sidewalks. At some points, wooden planks were stretched to the street to avoid small rivers.
Tina Hernandez, 24, and her 12-year-old stepdaughter laughed as they splashed water at each other by an open faucet on Monroe Avenue.
Read more about extreme heat
“It was definitely crazy,” Ms. Hernandez said. “The house is the hottest part of the summer. We tried running inside the sprinklers. It’s hard to stay calm. “
In Newark, the temperature hit 102 degrees, a record for the day and fifth day of readings above 100 degrees, the longest record of the city. Providence hit 98 degrees, breaking the previous record of 94 degrees in 1987, and Boston hit a sweltering 100, breaking the previous record of 98 degrees in 1933. Philadelphia hit 99 degrees, breaking the record of 98 from 2011. and Manchester, NH, recorded a temperature of 97, topping the previous high on day 95.
From Boston to Philadelphia to St. LouisMajor cities have declared heat emergencies and recommended extending throughout the weekend, some activating services to keep residents cool, like opening a library as a cooling center. In Washington, D.C. is notoriously swampy, where temperatures fluctuated in the 90s, officials Extended opening hours for some of the city’s poolsand Kansas City, Mo., has released tips on Twitter so residents keep the heat from damaging the foundations of their homes.
Philadelphia, which declared a heat emergency beginning Thursday, has halted plans to cut water for customers with past due bills, citing the heat wave.
Terry Greene, 62, said he used to enjoy the heat in Washington, but has become grateful for the air conditioning at his church, where he was hired as a maintenance worker.
“If I’m going to work outside, I just have to be prepared for it. I knew it had to be early in the morning,” Mr. Greene said.
Farther south, 40-year-old Jesse Williams is preparing for a long shift in front of a 600-degree oven at Memphis Pizza Cafe in Memphis, Tenn., where the National Weather Service issues heat advice. Temperatures are expected to reach close to 100 degrees.
Mr Williams said: ‘If I hadn’t had this little shop fan blowing in, I would probably have had heatstroke.
In Boston, The race organizers postponed the city’s annual triathlon. In New York, the organizers shortened a similar race take into account the temperature; The water temperature spiked to nearly 80 degrees when the race started around dawn.
In Philadelphia, the utility company PECO come up with strategies for customers to save electricity, such as washing clothes in cold water and installing window coverings. In New York, Allan Drury, a spokesman for Con Edison, said that this week represents the highest demand for electricity all summer. Since Monday, there have been more than 28,400 sporadic blackouts in the New York area, mostly in Westchester and the Bronx, Drury said.
“I’m 53 years old and I don’t remember it ever being this hot,” said Lonnie Coleman, a retired School District employee of Philadelphia who relaxed with Schuylkill on Sunday morning.
Elsewhere in Philadelphia, children, dogs and a few adults splashed in the shallow water at the Logan Square fountain.
Laura McSloy, a food service worker from Brewerytown, is sitting in the fountain.
Ms McSloy, 47, said: ‘It was so hot it made me feel bad for the dog.
Temperatures outside the Northeast also spiked. Outside Tulsa, Okla., Charley Pearson, 63, said the prolonged heat has made it difficult for the small volunteer Fire Department he is director of. He described a man who had collapsed outside his home with heart problems.
“The man was in the sun, there was no shade to find, so we were here pumping breasts in 104, 105 degree weather,” he said.
In downtown Oklahoma City, where the temperature rose to 96 degrees in the early afternoon, children played in the water at Scissortail Park, laughing and splashing. But the feature isn’t just for play: It’s a last resort drink for some of the city’s homeless. Brian Brust, 52 and recently homeless, said this was one of the first lessons he learned when he started living on the street.
“Everybody told me that was the place to go,” Mr. Brust said. “It’s hard to find water on the street.”
He waited in the shade of the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library with many other homeless people around noon. It was one of 75 state designated cooling centers but didn’t open until 1 p.m
Sunday’s crippling heat eased as parts of the country struggled to cope with a wave of heat-related emergencies, such as a devastating drought in the Southwest and wildfire season. violently in New Mexico, Arizona and California. The Oak Firenear Yosemite National Park, has burned down more than 14,000 square acres.
A similarly devastating heatwave will sweep across parts of the Northwest next week, with cities like Seattle expected to face temperatures of up to 100 degrees.
In the Bronx, Wanda Rosser, 58, and Yvonne Miles, 62, friends of more than 40 years, sat in the shade outside the New York City Housing Authority’s Butler Houses building on Sunday afternoon.
They have different responses to heat.
“I am a summer baby,” Ms. Rosser said. “Enjoy it!”
But Ms Miles said she has struggled with her asthma in hot weather.
However, she said, “You have to live. It is Mother Nature. “
Reporting by Adam Bednar, Téa Kvetenadze, Jon Hurdle, Luke Vander Ploeg, Ben Fenwick, Alex Traub and April Rubin.
