Temps rise as records fall

Cool Mother’s Day weekend elbowed out by scorching weather

BOSTON — Heat records were burning up Thursday in cities in the Northeast as the region gets a summer preview.

The mercury reached 92 degrees in Boston shortly after noon Thursday, breaking the old record of 91 degrees for May 18 set in 1936, according to the National Weather Service.

The 81-year-old record for the day of 90 degrees also fell in New York City, where it was still 91 degrees in Central Park shortly before 4 p.m.

Itwas the second straight day of midsummer-like conditions in the Northeast, though forecasters said a cooling trend would move in Friday.

The warmth came just days after much of the region endured a cold, rainy Mother’s Day weekend.

Heat-starved locals in Jamestown, Rhode Island, took advantage of the warm weather Thursday to eat lunch at restaurants with outdoor patios.

Mary Ann Williamson and Peggy Schreiner went out to eat to celebrate Williamson’s recent retirement. Schreiner said the weather was “spectacular.” Not minding the heat, they chatted to extend their time outside.

“As long as it’s not a rainy summer, I’ll be happy. I was worried about that,” Williamson said.

Other places where records fell included Hartford, Connecticut, where temperatures reached 94 degrees, and in Providence, Rhode Island, where it hit 93.

In Maine, where records also fell throughout the state, the Department of Environmental Protection issued an air-quality alert through 11 p.m. Thursday.

In Boston, the National Park Service said on Twitter that the Bunker Hill Monument, a major Revolutionary War tourist attraction, was closed to visitors for a time because of the heat.

Alan Dunham, a meteorologist at the Massachusetts office of the weather service, said 90-plus degree heat in mid-May was unusual in the Northeast, but far from unheard of.

And because dew points were low, Dunham said the heat did not feel nearly as oppressive as it might when humidity levels are much higher in July or August.

“As they say out west, it’s a dry heat,” he said.

As they relaxed in their boat in Westmore, Vermont, Kurt and Alison Harrison recalled that about a year ago when they vacationed in the same spot, it was snowing. On Thursday, temperatures were near 90.

“There’s no humidity up here ... it’s so nice,” Alison Harrison said.