A deadly, record-breaking heat wave is capping off the holiday weekend.
As America marks 250 years of independence, the heat wave gripping much of the East is now making history of its own, and turning deadly in the process.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson himself recorded the day’s high temperature at a mild 76 degrees. Two hundred fifty years later, the city is bracing for a high near 100 degrees today, part of a heat wave that has already broken more than three dozen daily temperature records since Thursday alone.
A history-making stretch of heat
New York City’s Central Park hit 100 degrees Thursday for the first time since 2012, tying a daily record in the process. Washington, DC, saw back-to-back 102-degree days Thursday and Friday, breaking records that had stood for more than 120 years, while Philadelphia’s 103 degrees Thursday matched a mark last set in 1901. Today is expected to bring a third straight day of triple-digit heat for both Philadelphia and Washington, which could end up recording its hottest Fourth of July on record.
The heat’s real toll
The danger has already proven fatal. A 68-year-old man died in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, on Thursday after trimming bushes as temperatures topped 100 degrees, with the coroner’s office attributing the death to a heart attack brought on by heat exhaustion. The CDC also reported unusually high rates of heat-related illness across the Northeast that same day.
The extreme heat is creating an added health concern beyond the temperature itself. With a heat dome trapping hot, stagnant air over the region, officials warn that Fourth of July fireworks could push already unhealthy air quality even further into dangerous territory, with pollution in some cities potentially lingering into the following morning.
More trouble in the forecast
Complications are piling up beyond the heat itself. First, thousands of customers in the New York City area lost power Friday, according to utility Con Edison, with some outages intentionally triggered to prevent larger, longer failures. Second, Washington’s Great American State Fair is opening two hours late today after being temporarily shut down Friday because of the heat, and the city’s traditional Fourth of July parade has been canceled altogether.
Third, thunderstorms are also expected to move into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast this afternoon, some potentially severe with wind gusts over 60 mph and dangerous lightning, though forecasters say the storms should be scattered enough that most areas can resume celebrations once they pass.
What scientists are saying
A new analysis published Friday by the World Weather Attribution research network found that this week’s combination of heat and humidity would not have occurred without the added influence of fossil fuel pollution. Climate scientist Friederike Otto argued that disruptions to the anniversary celebrations and unsafe conditions at outdoor World Cup matches should serve as a wake-up call, warning that such extreme weather will keep worsening until the world moves away from fossil fuels.
Relief is expected to arrive Sunday for much of the East, with temperatures easing back into the 80s next week, though the Southeast is forecast to remain stuck in the 90s for a while longer.
Story credit: CNN