Forecasters are predicting record-high daily temperatures in New York City and other parts of the Northeast on Sunday as nationwide scorching is expected to peak in many parts of the world. throughout the United States.
New York City – where officials confirmed one heat-related death on Saturday – could see near-record highs with the heat index surpassing 100 degrees, National Weather Service in New York City speak.
Temperatures are expected to surpass New York City’s previous record on July 24 of 97 degrees, set in 2010, said Richard Bann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. know Saturday. (Record high for Central Park, 106 degrees, was established in July 1936according to the Weather Service.)
Officials across the country braced for high temperatures, followed by a multi-day heatwave.
About 71 million people live in the regions Dangerous heat is expected on Sunday, meaning a heat index of at least 103 degrees. The heat index is a measure of how hot it really is outside, taking into account humidity and temperature.
Large areas of the Midwest, including Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, are facing such heat, along with areas from Southern California to the North Carolina coast.
Bann said several other areas, including parts of the Texas panhandle and the Tennessee Valley, are also expected to approach or break daily temperature records on Sunday.
Temperatures on Monday could be as high as Sunday, but would then be moderate after that in the Northeast and other parts of the country, he said.
“It was Tuesday at a time when we were getting cooler air into the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic,” he said.
Late Saturday, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Officer confirmed a heat-related death with listed contributing factors as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and emphysema. No other information about the death – including the victim’s location, time or name – was immediately released.
Philip O’Brien, a spokesman for Con Edison, the city’s electricity supply facility, said peak megawatt usage on Saturday in New York City and the nearby suburban district of Westchester was around 10,300, lower this month’s peak of 11,500 megawatts, was set on Wednesday. .
That peak itself is lower than in recent years, with a record of about 13,300 megawatts, set in July 2013. The drop in usage over time is partly due to more energy efficient appliances. , he said.
To protect the power grid, New York City officials ask residents to use less energy. Some suggestions include turning the air conditioner on to 78 degrees and unplugging appliances like TVs and computers.
“You can also go to the beach or go to the pool to stay cool!” the city said on Twitter (though not Rockaway Beach, which is closed on Saturdays after shark sighting).
Philadelphia declares heat emergency on Thursday still in effect. This action activates a number of city services designed to keep people safe, including the provision of libraries as cooling stations and the booking of air-conditioned buses throughout the city.
The Boston Triathlon, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed until August 21 “due to current historic weather conditions affecting Boston,” organizers said. said in a statement. (Organizers of the New York City Triathlon, also scheduled for Sunday, shortened the cycling and running sections of the race.)
On Thursday, Boston extend a heat emergency, published Monday through Sunday. The Weather Service said the heat index in Boston on Sunday could reach 105 degrees. A peak of 99 degrees is forecast for the city. If achieved, it would surpass the daily record high of 98 degrees set in 1933, Weather service said.
Hundreds of people die from extreme heat in the United States each year. To stay safe, the National Weather Service recommends people drink plenty of water, stay in cooler rooms, stay out of the sun, and check in on vulnerable loved ones and neighbors.
While tying a single heatwave to climate change requires further analysis, heatwaves around the world are growing more frequent, more dangerous and longer lasting.
2018 The National Climate Assessment, a major scientific report by 13 federal agencies, noting that the number of hot days is increasing and the frequency of heat waves in the United States has increased from the average two per year in the 1960s to six per year in the 2010s.
Christine Chung contribution report.
