Monday to stay hot for some in the Northeast, but relief is fast approaching
The most intense and longest-lasting heat wave so far this summer for the Northeast continued early in the week after Sunday marked the hottest day of the five- to seven-day stretch. Relief was already on the way as drenching and cooling thunderstorms advanced across the region on Monday.
Intense heat first began for much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic last week when temperatures soared above normal levels during the hottest part of the summer. Residents across the region sweltered and struggled to keep cool to end the week while the heat became deadly in two states.
At least two people succumbed to the scorching conditions in the Northeast last week. On Thursday, officials in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said a 73-year-old man became the city's first heat-related death this year according to NBC10 Philadelphia. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office said that the man “suffered from excessive heat exposure, complicated by underlying medical conditions.”
On Saturday, the New York City Medical Examiner's office said that a resident succumbed to heat exposure, according to the New York Post. While few details were given, the office stated that the person also suffered from underlying conditions.
Several major metros and states along the Interstate-95 corridor have put excessive heat measures into effect in an effort to keep residents cool and safe. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Thursday that a Heat Emergency was active through Monday, allowing shelters and cooling centers to open. Similarly, in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney also enacted a Heat Health Emergency from Thursday through Sunday. During this emergency, cooling centers and Septa cooling buses are available to the public.
In some Northeast states, public officials took to social media to urge residents to stay safe in the heat. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged residents in the state to stay indoors during the hottest afternoon weather, with humid conditions and temperatures surging well into the 90s in most of the state. To the north, where the heat was no less intense, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee posted several tips to stay safe in the heat, and provided a list of cooling centers for those lacking air conditioning.
Jennifer Pagan, left, sprays water on friends from an open fire hydrant in The Bronx section of New York, Friday, July 22, 2022. Dangerously high temperatures threatened much of the Northeast and South as millions of Americans sought comfort from air conditioners, fire hydrants, fountains and cooling centers. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Intense heat from the past week continued to bake the East Coast on Sunday as high temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit were quite common.
Washington, D.C., reached 94 degrees on Sunday, making it the seventh straight day and twelfth day in July that the nation's capital eclipsed the 90-degree mark. With particularly humid conditions present around the city, the heat only felt more sweltering. Farther north, the heat reached even more extreme levels; Philadelphia surged to 99 F on Sunday, which is 10 degrees above average for the date and the 4th straight day in the upper 90s for the city.
Some of the highest temperatures of the day were observed in the greater New York City area. While the city itself topped out at 95 degrees, the mercury just to the west in Newark, New Jersey, reached a scorching 102 F. This reading in Newark broke the existing record for the date by 3 degrees, which was set in 2010. Sunday was also the fifth straight day that Newark reached or exceeded the century mark, and reached 15 degrees above the average high temperature for this time of year.
Due to the urban heat island effect, where buildings and other paved surfaces trap heat efficiently and raise temperatures, some of the hottest weather was found in the cities along the densely populated Interstate-95 corridor. In Boston, a 100-degree reading was reported at 2:25 p.m. EDT Sunday, breaking the daily record of 98 set in 1933.
Abnormally warm weather even extended as far north as Canada. Fredericton, New Brunswick, which is located approximately 320 miles northeast of Boston, surged to an abnormal 89 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) on Sunday. High temperatures for late July in the area are typically near 75 F, or 24 C.
While the high temperatures may be most eye-catching and felt the most scorching for those outside, in the heat, it is actually the low temperatures that are most dangerous to those prone to heat-related illnesses, especially those without access to air conditioning.
"Temperatures Sunday night only bottomed out in the upper 70s or even low 80s in the warmest spots. For those who are most susceptible to the heat, this makes it extremely difficult to cool down at night, which is a major cause in heat-related illnesses and deaths," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike LeSeney said.
Relief may come sooner rather than later for some, as an approaching storm system brings cooling cloudiness and thunderstorms with it. While some storms are expected to turn severe, they will finally put an end to the heat wave for many. However, for those closest to the coast, this may not arrive in time to prevent one more day of abnormally hot weather.
"In inland areas, thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon will keep temperatures in check, much like what happened in parts of Pennsylvania and Upstate New York when intense storms rolled in on Sunday. But farther east, the weather will stay dry and clear long enough for temperatures to surge once again," LeSeney explained.
In Philadelphia, when an excessive heat warning remains in effect, a high of 93 F is in the forecast. Another hot day in the cards in New York and Boston as well, with temperatures to approach 90.
Finally, however, Tuesday will fully bring relief throughout the Northeast as the storms slide off to the south and east. High temperatures are likely to be held in the 80s throughout the region.
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