New York residents are being warned to “just stay indoors” as scorching temperatures heat up the Big Apple, while much of the country suffers from one of the hottest heat waves in years.
Temperatures on the central East Coast will soar to nearly 100F through the week as health officials warn the heat could have serious side effects.
“Just stay inside, stay in the air conditioning, obviously stay hydrated,” Fox Weather Center meteorologist Mathieu Blue said. “It’s really important, especially if you’re outside for an extended period of time, that you have a bottle of water and stay as hydrated as possible.”
“The higher the dew point, the harder it is for our bodies to cool down,” he added, noting the health ramifications high humidity levels can have.
The sky-high temperatures in New York come as a scorching ‘heat dome’ that has hit the nation’s Southwest in recent weeks is about to expand, sending more than 80 million people under heat warning alerts Monday night.
New York: Big Apple residents warned to “stay home” to avoid heat wave
ARIZONA: A large digital thermometer reads 108F as jets taxi at Sky Harbor International Airport
The ‘heat dome’ that has scorched the Southwest in recent weeks is poised to expand. Pictured: A model simulation of the high-pressure heat system that spans the country
Much of the nation has been battling the extreme heat wave for several weeks, with southern border states particularly hard hit by the crisis.
Scorching temperatures haven’t melted the East Coast to the same extent until this week, but New York City is now poised to mark its first official heat wave of the summer. A heat wave is defined as three consecutive days above 90F.
“The three (hottest days) are going to be Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Blue said. “Wednesday is a wild card, it could hit 90F too.”
“The humidity will also increase as we get closer to the weekend, and the humidity combined with the heat is what causes the oppression.”
Although New York is poised to endure its first heat wave since August 2021, Blue added that a cooling weather front will arrive over the weekend to cool things down.
“From Saturday through Sunday, a strong cold front will move northeast, and that will sweep away some of these higher temperatures,” he said.
“But mainly it’s going to bring down the dew points, which will help the humidity.”
NYC: New York City is set to record its first heat wave of the year, where three consecutive days reach at least 90F
TEXAS: A man wipes his face while working in scorching heat in Richardson, Texas on July 24, 2023
In other parts of the country, searing temperatures have been a part of everyday life for weeks, even leading to the death of a Texas man in June.
Victor Ramos, 67, died of accidental hypothermia due to the extreme heat, and the state’s fight against the weather also saw a boy nearly die after getting trapped in a car this month, until his heroic father saved him by smashing his own windshield.
The efforts in Texas came a day after San Antonio marked the end of a record streak of days with triple-digit temperatures with a 99F day, stopping the streak at 15.
With the heat dome expected to spread to the Northern Plains and Midwest in the coming days, the advisories will go into effect for about 300 million Americans.
The National Weather Service has excessive heat warnings and heat advisories for much of the western and southern United States.
While baking parts of the country, the heat dome also helped bring heavy rain to the Northeast, a pattern expected to continue for days, if not weeks, according to the National Weather Service.
Across the country, this week’s heat is forecast to be worst on Wednesday and Thursday, when more than 250 million people will face temperatures above 90F.
According to the Washington Posttemperatures are forecast to be above normal by the end of July in all regions of the Americas except the Pacific Northwest.
Triple-digit heat is forecast to stretch from Phoenix to St Louis by midweek, while New York will be among several East Coast hubs remaining in the 90s.
However, the epicenter of the heat dome will persist over the western territories, as several heat wave records are in danger of being broken from the Canadian to the Mexican borders.
Among the heat records threatened are 97F in Kalispell, Montana, and 103F in Grand Junction, Colorado.
CALIFORNIA: Two people enjoy the last rays as the sun sets over Los Angeles on July 24, 2023
CALIFORNIA: A San Bernardino County firefighter wipes his head as the Oak Fire burns near Fontana, California on July 19, 2023
PHOENIX: A man cools off in the sun in Phoenix, Arizona, which has endured one of its worst heat waves in recent memory.
Throughout the remainder of the week, parts of the Midwest are forecast to continue to see elevated temperatures as heat spreads from the Southwest.
In Phoenix, Arizona, residents have endured one of the most debilitating heat waves in recent memory as the metro hit its record 24 straight days of 110+ degree temperatures with no end in sight on Monday.
“The heat is taking a significant toll,” said Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, according to CNN. “The hospital hasn’t been this busy with overflow since some spikes in the COVID pandemic.”
Some Phoenix residents criticized city leaders for city practices that appear to go against heat avoidance guidance. The city removed shaded bus stops in mid-summer and cited homeowners for failing to comply with its laws, according to the Arizona Republic.
“It’s pretty self-defeating to tell people to be mindful of heat safety and also threaten to fine them for not doing yard work,” one resident wrote on Twitter.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has said much of the country can expect above-average temperatures through at least the end of July.
