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NYC is in for 100-degree days. How to handle the brutal heat.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jun 18, 2025
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Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jun 18, 2025
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It’s getting hot — and humid — in here.
New York City will be hit with some serious heat in the next several days, according to the National Weather Service. Temperature highs will be around 90 degrees Thursday, and then, after dipping into the 80s Friday and Saturday, they will ramp right back up. It’s expected to be around 100 degrees by Monday.
“We basically have a pretty warm and, and humid air mass that'll be building over the area during that timeframe, and that will result in these very warm and humid temperatures and heat indices,” NWS meteorologist Dave Radell said.
Leading up to Sunday, the conditions will be rather “unsettled,” Radell said. Wednesday brings chances of rain and temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s.
Thursday morning is expected to be dry, but the afternoon will have chances of showers and even thunderstorms, as well as temperatures around 90 degrees.
The rain and heat will clear out Friday, when it will be mostly dry and temporarily cooler, according to NWS.
Radell said temperatures will again rise as early as Saturday afternoon, and will keep climbing into Sunday, when they’ll reach the 90-degree range. Some spots in the city could even reach 100 degrees that day, according to Radell.
“When we combine those really hot temperatures with the humidity during that period, we're going to have, heat indices — or real feel-temperatures, the feel-like temperature on your body — warmer than that,” he added.
Radell recommended staying inside during peak heat hours between noon and 6 p.m., and wearing light-colored, loose clothing.
The forecast is expected to meet the criteria for a heat wave, which require three consecutive days of 90-plus-degree temperatures.
The city’s heat emergency plan requires a heat index of at least 100 degrees for one day, or 95 degrees or higher for two or more consecutive days, according to NYC Emergency Management spokesperson Aries Dela Cruz. He added the agency will soon share heat-related plans for the coming week.
Extreme heat kills hundreds of New Yorkers every year, according to city data. A recent report by city Comptroller Brad Lander found that 30% of New Yorkers are “energy insecure,” meaning they are unable to meet their energy needs.
Many New Yorkers and most New Jerseyans are facing significant increases in energy rates this year. Utility Con Edison has proposed a double-digit hike beginning in 2026.
Officials encourage New Yorkers without air conditioners to visit cooling centers throughout the city. While the emergency heat plan hasn’t been activated yet, many of the city’s cooling centers — including libraries, older adult centers and community centers — will be open during their regular hours.
New York state also has a program for free air conditioners — the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP — to help New Yorkers afford ACs during the hot summer months. Eligibility criteria is listed here, and applications are currently open.
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Catalina Gonella
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