Break in heat wave a welcome change

High of 85 set for Sunday, with slight increase afterward

After a heat wave that left people sweltering in temperatures above 90 degrees for almost a week, Saturday brought a breezy reprieve.

The high in the afternoon was 79 degrees, with north winds around 5 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. In the cooler weather, Capital Region residents headed outside to bike, run, walk and sit outdoors.

“I’ve built up a good base tan over the last few days,” said Alex Naidoo, an Albany resident who was reading a book at Washington Park. “Now I can enjoy the sun without burning.”

The average temperature in Albany between July 1 and July 6 was 82 degrees, the National Weather Service in Albany tweeted Saturday. “This ranks as the 2nd warmest first 6 days of July on record since 1911 when the average was 84.3F. Wow!” they wrote.

The extra-toasty weather sent customers rushing to stores to buy air conditioners and fans, usually a trend around the Fourth of July even without a heat wave.

Nakia Sanchez, who lives in Albany, said she saw people pushing carts full of fans earlier in the week. Sanchez bought two herself.

“It’s finally comfortable to sleep,” she said.

Don’t reach for those sweaters quite yet: Temperatures are expected to heat up slightly, with a high of 85 degrees Sunday, 90 degrees Monday and 89 degrees Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Ed Colfer joked that he and his wife fought about whether to turn their air conditioning unit on or off during the heat wave. The couple live in Latham, and Colfer said the cooler weather was a welcome change.

“It’s a very nice day,” he said Saturday, walking through Washington Park en route to lunch. “There’s a breeze!”