Stubborn, record-breaking heat dome to last for days
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Reporting from Pittsburgh
Tens of thousands of people in the Pittsburgh area lost power last night because of storm damage, a particular concern because it came on the same day the city reached 100 F for the first time in 30 years.
They were among 73 million people from Iowa to Maine under heat alerts today, with temperatures in some places more than 25 degrees above average. About 100 daily records are likely to be shattered this week.
The heat dome causing such extremes is set to move south toward the weekend, providing some relief to the Northeast, but cities including Washington could still experience up to eight days of severe heat.
The news comes as several health care and labor groups filed a petition to get FEMA to recognize extreme heat as a major disaster.
Some 35,000 people in Pennsylvania were still without power this morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
New York state set to swelter in triple digit heat
Parts of New York state will reach beyond 100 degrees today, the weather service has warned.
In Rochester, on the shores of Lake Ontario, it will reach 102 by 3 p.m., with a heat index — a measure of how hot it feels — of 104.
The weather service urged people to find air-conditioned spaces, not undertake strenuous work outside and to check on family members and neighbors.
National Weather Service warns of dangerous and unusual heat in Great Lakes and Northeast
The National Weather Service said early today that this week’s heat wave could bring record temperatures and relatively unusual danger to northern parts of the country.
Temperatures are set to hit the upper-90s and possibly reach the 100 mark today and tomorrow, it said, including into northern New England.
Already today, temperatures are in the mid-70s, which in many areas either ties or breaks morning low records.
“The early arrival of this magnitude of heat, the duration, abundant sunshine, and lack of relief overnight will increase the danger of this heatwave beyond what the exact temperature values would suggest,” the service said.
“This is especially true for those without adequate air conditioning, which becomes more of a concern for locations father north that are not a accustomed to periods of persistent, intense heat.”
Hottest place in the U.S. climbed to 114 F yesterday
As the heat turns up across much of the country, Texas was home to the highest temperature yesterday.
Rio Grande Village reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest place in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
National forecasters are calling for a high of 113 degrees F there today and have designated it a Category 4 — extreme — risk for heat-related impacts. At that level of “long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief,” anyone without effective cooling or adequate hydration is affected, the agency warns.
Most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure are “likely” to be impacted.
Heat wave will be ‘dangerous and long,’ National Weather Service predicts
Light winds and persistent heat over multiple days could make this week’s wave especially dangerous, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said yesterday afternoon.
Daily temperatures in the Midwest and the Northwest could reach record highs. The center expects the heat index — what the temperature feels like to the human body — to peak from 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit in many locations.
By the weekend, the most intense heat is expected to shift toward the Northeast urban corridor and the mid-Atlantic — areas that include Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington.
The National Weather Service advises people who don’t have access to reliable air conditioning to find ways to cool down, which may include staying in the shade, drinking lots of water and wearing loose, light-colored clothing. People and pets should never be left alone in closed cars to avoid overheating.
California firefighters gain ground against big wildfires after hot and windy weekend
Firefighters increased their containment of a large wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles yesterday after a weekend of explosive, wind-driven growth along Interstate 5.
The Post Fire was 8% surrounded after having scorched nearly 23 square miles and forced the evacuations of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders and hikers from the Hungry Valley recreation area Saturday.
“That 8% is good because it means we are increasing and bolstering our containment lines,” said Kenichi Haskett, a Los Angeles County Fire Department section chief.
Firefighters hope to hold the fire at its current size, but further growth is possible, Haskett said.
The fire broke out as weather turned hot and windy in a region where grasses spawned by a rainy winter have long since dried out and burn easily.
How does heat kill?
Heat kills more people in the U.S. every year than any other type of weather event. More than 1,100 people died from extreme heat last year, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure doesn’t include deaths in which heat was a contributing factor rather than an underlying cause.
The number of heat-related deaths has also increased steadily in the U.S. in the last few years. Multiple factors may be responsible: Climate change has made heat waves longer, more frequent and more intense. But rising rates of homelessness and reduced access to air conditioning in the U.S. have also exposed more people to extreme temperatures.
Extreme heat can cause a variety of illnesses, from skin rashes and muscle cramps on the milder end to more severe symptoms such as fainting, dizziness, headache or nausea. The most serious heat-related illness — heatstroke — occurs when the body can’t regulate its own temperature. People suffering heatstroke may die if they’re not treated right away.
In other cases, extreme heat may aggravate underlying health problems such as heart disease or high blood pressure. As people’s body temperatures rise, their heart starts to pump faster to increase blood flow to the skin, which can place added strain on the cardiovascular system. Dehydration can also make people more prone to blood clots.
Older adults, pregnant people and newborns are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and death.
China also hit by extreme heat — and flooding
BEIJING — China is being buffeted by two weather extremes, with heavy rain and flooding forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the south and a heat wave prompting fears of a drought for farmers in the north.
At least one person has died in the flooding. The body of a student who fell into a swollen river in the southern city of Guilin was found two days later Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Elsewhere in the Guangxi region, heavy rains flooded homes in some villages.
To the east, landslides and flooding hit parts of Fujian province, and 36,000 people have been moved, according to state media. A landslide trapped a truck in Songxi county, and videos posted online by the Quanzhou government showed vehicles inundated with muddy floodwater in a part of the historic city.
The Chinese government has issued repeated calls to step up disaster prevention and preparedness in anticipation of more severe weather events because of climate change. Violent rain and hailstorms killed seven people in eastern China’s Jiangxi province this year.
Much of northern China, including the capital, Beijing, has endured high temperatures for the past week.
Major heat wave to hit Midwest and East Coast, bringing heat alerts to 66 million
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The summer is coming in hot: As Thursday’s solstice approaches, a heat wave is hitting the East Coast and the Midwest and is expected to last through at least Friday.
Almost 66 million people across the U.S. were under some level of heat alert yesterday afternoon. Heat warnings, watches or advisories were in effect from Iowa to Maine, affecting Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, New York and other cities.
“The duration of this heat wave is notable and potentially the longest experienced in decades for some locations,” the Weather Prediction Center said Sunday.
