Oppressive heat broke daily high temperature records in several northeastern cities on Sunday — prompting local officials to declare heat emergencies.
Newark Liberty International Airport reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous record set on July 24 at 99 degrees in 2010. In Boston, temperatures reached 100 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 98 degrees set in 1933.
Providence, Rhode Island, reached 98 degrees, similarly setting a record of 94 in 1933. And Philadelphia reached 99 degrees, matching its record high of 98 degrees in 2011.
More than 60 million people across the U.S. are under heat warnings Monday morning as high temperatures continue. Primarily in the Northeast, Central America, and the Pacific Northwest.
New York City, Newark and Boston remain under heat advisories through Monday evening as heat index values could still climb into the 90s. Philadelphia remains under an extreme heat warning until Monday evening, with heat index values expected to reach 100 degrees. But after Tuesday, temperatures in the northeast will start to fall below normal levels.
Meanwhile, parts of the Pacific Northwest — which has experienced a colder start to the year compared to its eastern counterparts — are under several extreme heat watches on Monday that will be upgraded to heat warnings as the day progresses. Those high temperatures are expected to last through this week and into next week.
“Daytime highs will exceed the 90s each day, and even eclipse the century mark in the Columbia River Gorge and Columbia River basin,” the weather forecast center said. “Daily records will be broken on Tuesday from Northern California to the Portland and Seattle metro areas.”
To prevent further infrastructure damage, Seattle Department of Transportation crews will spray cold water on the city’s three largest drop bridges to keep their moving parts from expanding and becoming trapped, the release said.
Cities across the Central Plains — including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; And Springfield, Missouri, find themselves under heat advisories Monday, with high temperatures expected to climb into the upper 90s and reach triple digits by at least midweek.
Extreme heat warnings are in effect for Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fort Smith, Arkansas, where heat index values could reach 112 degrees.
A weekend
The weekend saw warm temperatures across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio River Valley and Central Plains that put more than 90 million people under extreme heat warnings on Sunday.
Cities baking under prolonged heat have moved to provide relief measures, including cooling stations, splash pads and additional outreach to people experiencing homelessness.
“As we extend the heat emergency for a second time, it’s clear that a changing climate is a public health risk to our city,” Boston Mayor Michael Wu said in a statement. “I thank the many city employees who helped us get through the first part of this emergency and ask residents to continue to look out for each other.”
On Saturday, at least one person in New York City died of heat exposure, the medical examiner’s office said, adding that the person had pre-existing conditions. The city’s high temperature that day was 97 degrees.
Overheating causes power outages
The intense heat left tens of thousands without power over the weekend as high temperatures caused blackouts, with conditions worsened by ongoing storms in some areas.
In Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, about 20,000 customers were affected by power outages Sunday, electric utility Eversource said in a statement.
Eversource was working to restore power to about 7,500 remaining customers Sunday afternoon, and advised people to avoid using large appliances during peak hours and to adjust their thermostats a few degrees higher than normal to reduce energy use.
New York City power provider Con Edison said its workers continued to “restore scattered outages caused by scorching heat” Sunday afternoon, and the company is bracing for another weather challenge — with thunderstorms forecast for Monday.
The company did not say how many of its customers were affected by the outage, but said in a statement Sunday that its employees were “replacing and repairing cable and other equipment to restore service to customers.”
The company said it plans to bring in additional workers to repair damaged overhead wires and equipment in anticipation of Monday’s storms.
Saturday afternoon storms knocked out power to more than 10,000 customers in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, leaving affected residents without power as record temperatures were forecast across the region.
CNN’s Samantha Beach, Haley Brink, Liam Reilly, Emily Chang and Benjamin Schiller contributed to this report.
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