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NYC declares heat emergency with real-feel temperatures of up to 100 degrees possible
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jul 31, 2024
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Drew Angerer/Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jul 31, 2024
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New Yorkers, stay inside if you can.
That’s what city officials are advising under a heat emergency plan they’ve activated through at least Thursday, due to soaring temperatures that are expected to hit 95 to 100 degrees when accounting for humidity.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the five boroughs, parts of Nassau County and northern New Jersey from 1 p.m. on Wednesday through 8 p.m. on Thursday.
NWS meteorologist Jay Engle said hot and humid conditions are forecast to develop on Wednesday afternoon and could last beyond Thursday night. There's also a chance of showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday evening, with another round of potential storms over the weekend, he said.
“We're in the dog days of summer as we get ready for early August, where you tend to get more of that combination of heat and humid conditions,” Engle added.
New York City cooling centers will be open through the heat emergency, according to NYC Emergency Management. Olympic- and intermediate-sized outdoor pools will also be open through at least 8 p.m. on Thursday to help New Yorkers keep cool.
Emergency Management recommended that residents stay hydrated and in air conditioning, particularly during the sun’s peak hours between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. It also advised people to avoid strenuous outdoor activity, especially those with respiratory or other health issues that put them at higher risk of heat-related illness.
Extreme heat kills an estimated 350 New Yorkers on average each year, according to city officials. Symptoms of heat illness include hot and dry skin, confusion, nausea, vomiting, trouble breathing, weakness and dizziness. New Yorkers of color are disproportionately at risk of heat-related illness, according to health officials.
Engle said this summer has been trending hotter earlier in the season than normal for the area, in part due to high humidity levels.
“Typically we see more of these types of humid days with dew points in the 70s as you get into late July and August, but we've kind of been experiencing this since [the] second half of June,” he said.
Experts say densely populated urban areas with tall buildings, like New York City, are usually hotter than less developed places because of what’s known as the urban heat island effect. A recent study found that the city's built environment — composed of concrete, steel and asphalt — makes it at least 8 degrees hotter than it otherwise would be.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that dozens of lifeguards would remain on duty at city beaches until 8 p.m. during heat emergencies, even though swimming is prohibited after 6 p.m., after a spate of drownings this summer. The city is urging beachgoers to beware of rip currents that can sweep swimmers out to sea.
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Catalina Gonella
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