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Heat Sets Records in S.C., Knocks out Power in N.Y.
USAToday.com
June
10, 2008
East Coast Heat Wave
Continues
It was hotter in the South Carolina Upstate this weekend than it has been for 75 years.
The National Weather Service said Monday that the temperature at the
Greenville-Spartanburg airport reached a record high of 100 degrees on Sunday, breaking the old record of 97 degrees set in 1933.
On Saturday, the high temperature was 99 degrees, breaking the old record of 98 also set in 1933.
Forecasters say high pressure along the Atlantic coast coupled with southerly winds and clear skies Monday will continue to stoke temperatures into the upper 90s and low 100s from the Carolinas into New England.
In the Washington, D.C. area, scorching temperatures and stifling humidity are expected to also continue through Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to reach 95 to 100 degrees both days. It could feel more like 105 with the humidity.
More than 2,000 people are still without power following last week's storm.
Storms knocked out power for New York City dwellers, which also must battle record-high temperatures.
Sunday's high temperature in Central Park hit 93 degrees, just shy of the 95-degree record for the date, set in 1933.
Melanie Duncan, a visitor from Toronto, lounged under a tree in the park with two friends, eating ice cream and complaining about the heat. "It's making us drink a lot more beer," Duncan said.
The dangerously hot conditions has sparked safety concerns for the elderly and frail.
"We're calling on all New Yorkers to check in on the homebound elderly," said Beth Shapiro, spokeswoman for Citymeals on Wheels. The program's deliverers were making sure clients are well hydrated; meal boxes include fruit and extra liquids.
During a heat wave in late July and early August of 2006, 40 people died directly from heat stroke, and the sometimes triple-digit temperatures contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.
"It's just crazy. ... It's really, really hot," said Jessica Pena, 27. She had her hair up in a bun as she swept a midtown Manhattan street at around 8:15 a.m., when it already was in the upper 80s.
The relentless heat comes a day after thunderstorms tossed trees on train tracks, delayed airlines for hours and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
Consolidated Edison reported about 1,300 outages in Brooklyn, mainly in the Boerum Hill section, due to smoking cables underground. There were scattered outages on Staten Island, in Queens and in Westchester County. Crews were working to restore service.
"Our second hot day and they can't even handle it," Christine Rankin said in Monday editions of the Daily News as she sat on the stoop of her Brooklyn home waiting for her power to be restored.
More than 5,740 Long Island Power Authority customers were without electricity Monday morning after the previous night's storms. They are mostly in Rockaway Peninsula, where almost 2,400 customers were without power, and in Brookhaven with 1,500 outages.
Nearly 10,000 customers in Putnam and northern Westchester counties lost power, but most were quickly restored, according to New York State Electric and Gas. The utility said it expects to have most customers back online by noon, but some won't have their power back on until Monday night.
The weather service said the heat wave should break by midweek, with temperatures falling back into the 80s.
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