East bakes in heat wave
Records wilt in U.S. furnace
On first day of summer, several places such as Newark, N.J., Hartford, Conn., break temperature records,
Summer started with a bang Wednesday with a record-smashing heat wave in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where temperatures soared into the 90s and hit 100 degrees in Baltimore.
Temperature records were broken Wednesday in locations such as New York City’s La Guardia Airport (98 degrees), Newark, N.J. (98), Hartford, Conn. (97), and Burlington, Vt. (95). Today and Friday should see more record-breaking heat before cooler air arrives in time for the weekend.
For the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, it was the season’s first significant heat wave, which can be the most dangerous, National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro said. “Early season heat outbreaks can lead to a high number of heat-related health issues as our bodies aren’t used to it yet.”
Wednesday was the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the longest period of daylight and the start of astronomical summer. Meteorological summer is defined as the months of June, July and August.
The heat produced some bizarre weather statistics: It was much warmer on Wednesday in Concord, N.H. (96 degrees) than it was in Miami (79 degrees).
Some spots in New Jersey neared 100 degrees. At an outdoor high school graduation in North Bergen, several relatives of graduates were treated for heat exhaustion and taken to a hospital.
The worst of the heat in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic should end late Friday, AccuWeather meteorologist Andy Mussoline said, thanks to a cold front that’s forecast to move into the region, bringing the chance for showers and thunderstorms.
“Much more comfortable weather will move into the region by the weekend,” Mussoline said.
The typically torrid desert Southwest was seeing its own heat wave Wednesday, where highs were forecast to reach a scorching 115 degrees, hot even by the standards of that region.
More extreme heat is likely today and Friday in the Southwest. Excessive-heat warnings were posted in southeastern California and southwestern Arizona, where highs of 110 to 115 degrees are again possible through Friday.
While the Northeast will get a reprieve over the weekend and early next week, the central and southeastern USA could see some searing heat next week. “Dallas could see its first 100-degree day of the year,” Mussoline said.