Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Father's Day forecast: See where thunderstorms could impact outdoor plans. Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

89°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

89°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Health

Social distancing and heat waves could create a 1-2 punch for crowded big cities

By John Roach, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Apr 29, 2020 6:59 PM EDT

Copied

It's hotter than normal, and it has been like this for several days. What you're experiencing is a heat wave. How did it form?

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on heavily populated areas has become a concern for public officials as the warmer summer months approach. 

The question for city officials is how will they protect residents from the combination of social distancing because of COVID-19 and the “potentially deadly consequences of being poor, disabled or elderly during the hottest days of the year,” the Washington Post reported. 

There have already been more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States with more than 50,000 deaths related to it. 

Many residents often either don’t have air conditioning or limit using it to control electricity bills in many low-income city neighborhoods in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the Washington Post. As a result, people often gather outdoors, at public pools or at recreation centers, which also serve as cooling centers for senior citizens. But social distancing policies threaten the viability of those plans this year. 

“This is a challenge … because if the order is to stay at home, then the traditional way of responding … is probably not feasible,” Jeffrey Wade, executive director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority in Cleveland, which serves about 55,000 residents, told the Washington Post. 

heat wave dc

Nevaeha, 8, plays in the fountain at Washington, D.C.'s Canal Park on July 17, 2019. Social distancing measures may limit some cooling options this summer.

In the summer, dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are among the heat-related illnesses that resulted in 8,081 heat-related deaths in the U.S. from 1999-2010, according to the CDC. 

“Heat kills a lot of people, and the elderly and very young are extremely sensitive to extremes of temperature,” said Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather founder and CEO. 

“The temperature and other indices do not tell the whole story of how weather conditions make us feel,” said Myers. “Other weather variables in addition to temperature, such as sunlight, humidity, wind, precipitation and a multitude of other factors can impact our comfort or discomfort outside and may even cause harm or illness.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

In Oakland, California, plans were announced to open 74 miles of city streets to pedestrians and New York City intends to free 40 miles from car traffic to create more outdoor space for residents. 

The problem for people and the cities may be the duration of heat waves. AccuWeather’s summer forecast is calling for “scorching heat in July and early August for places like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York. The latter part of the summer will yield a good chance for heat waves, where highs can climb to 90 degrees Fahrenheit or greater for three consecutive days.”

“Clearly, if a heat wave goes on for 10 days, 12 days or more … it can be devastating,” said AccuWeather’s Dr. Joel N. Myers. “Your body has a certain amount of resiliency, but the longer the heat wave goes, the more it creates a stress on your body and the more it takes out of you. That’s why the death toll accelerates with the length of a heat wave. It’s not only how hot it gets, but how long it lasts.”

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. 

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

Wildfire smoke to limit number of days with deep blue sky this summer

Jun. 12, 2025
Weather Forecasts

More storms, temperatures swings ahead for the Northeast

Jun. 13, 2025
Weather News

Children swept away among at least 49 killed in South Africa flooding

Jun. 11, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

How the Air India plane came crashing to earth

20 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe storms to focus over Plains through Father's Day weekend

1 hour ago

Weather Forecasts

More storms, temperatures swings ahead for the Northeast

1 hour ago

Weather Forecasts

Father’s Day forecast: West to have best weather for outdoor activitie...

1 hour ago

Weather News

San Antonio flooding claims 5 lives

1 hour ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Climate

If crucial ocean currents collapses, weather impact would be extreme

2 days ago

Weather News

No injuries after JetBlue plane rolls onto grass after landing

20 hours ago

Astronomy

Accidental find in planetarium could shift understanding of solar syst...

2 days ago

Climate

New Zealand sued over ‘inadequate’ plan to reduce emissions

2 days ago

Weather News

New images reveal treasures aboard ‘holy grail’ shipwreck

1 day ago

AccuWeather Health Social distancing and heat waves could create a 1-2 punch for crowded big cities
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...