The National Weather Service said late Saturday that more than 30 of its stations across the country will remain on a heat alert through Sunday. The high humidity was pushing heat indices, the temperature at which the air feels, above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a radical change from the relatively temperate beginning of the northeast to summer.
“The ‘Dog Days of Summer’”, the Weather Prediction Center said“no doubt they are here.”
extreme heat, is expected to continue until early next week, is another warning sign that climate change threatens more and more what is traditionally a time associated with relaxing summer vacations. Temperatures are rising, wildfires are becoming more severe, and droughts are becoming more common — a striking change from previous generations, scientists say.
Wildfires have burned thousands of acres across California in July. This weekend, fire officials said some 6,000 people were evacuated as “explosive fire behavior” made it difficult for crews to extinguish a blaze that had burned 9,500 acres near Yosemite National Park.
In some cities, extreme heat this weekend caused major events to be disrupted for safety reasons. The Boston Triathlon originally scheduled for Sunday has been postponed to the end of August.due to current heat emergency.” While the New York City triathlon and duathlon are still scheduled for Sunday, organizers announced they had shortened the cycling and running segments of the competition.
“The safety of our athletes and all attendees is our top priority,” organizers of the New York City Triathlon said.
New York officials have turned public spaces into cooling centers and offered sprinkler caps for fire hydrants, which aim to decrease the amount of water released if people turn on hydrants to stay cool. The city weather service said the next two days would be the “hottest weekend of the year so far” and he warned that temperatures would climb into the 90s and could feel even higher.
If New York’s heat wave lasts through Monday, it would coincide with a similar seven-day heat wave in 2013, when heat indices reached at least 95 degrees every day.
Boston was scheduled to experience temperatures in the 80s to 90s on Saturday, with “comfortable” humidity levels. the tall was 92 on saturdaybut the Weather Service warned of more oppressive heat conditions for Sunday, with heat index values up to 105 degrees.
Excessive heat can be dangerous as it makes it difficult for the body to cool down and potentially causing rapid pulse, nausea, or loss of consciousness. Unsafe temperatures are forcing people up and down the Atlantic coast to figure out how to protect themselves.
Susan Driscoll, 58, said she has been running earlier than usual to avoid the Boston heat. Photographer and personal trainer. captured a sunrise image at Paul Revere Park on Saturday morning.
“The miles are down and the pace is down” due to the heat, he said, adding that he is “listening to his body” this weekend.
“I didn’t have any races or anything on the schedule, thank God, because I could have gone out and walked,” Driscoll said.
In Philadelphia, where the heat index could reach the low in the mid-100s on Sunday, the fire department implored neighbors not to use fire hydrants refresh — warning that opening hydrants could harm them and nearby property and people. He encouraged residents to find public pools and sprinkler parks, instead.
The District of Columbia is preparing for the temperatures to potentially reach triple digits for the first time since 2016. Temperatures there were already feeling in the mid-90s on Saturday morning and were still rising, The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang said. reported. In response, the city extended the hours of operation for public pools, opened cooling centers and expanded the number of beds in its homeless shelters to offer people a cool place to sleep.
The high for DC on Saturday was 93, according to the Capital Weather Gang, with the possibility of record temperatures near 100 degrees on Sunday. Heat index values are expected to approach 105 degrees.
The heat wave is particularly challenging for some residents in the Northeast, where air conditioning isn’t as ubiquitous as it is in other parts of the country.
Lauren Kinsley said she has been working from her home in Manhattan for the past few days to avoid the heat.
“I only have one air conditioner in my apartment, a window unit, but I’m trying to keep costs down,” said Kinsley, 32, who works in fundraising. “So it’s been stuffy in my apartment basically this whole week, and right now I’m just out for coffee. And I came back soaked.”
Kinsley said he plans to go see “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” at a movie theater this weekend, in part because it means she’ll be in an air-conditioned space.
“But you have to brave the heat to get there,” he said, adding that he is refraining from running errands until the weather cools down.
Praveena Somasundaram contributed to this report.