Multiday warnings of extreme heat were imposed by federal officials in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, and other cities ahead of Fourth of July celebrations as temperatures neared or surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit combined with high humidity on Thursday.
“A strong upper-level ridge will remain anchored across the central and eastern U.S. through the weekend, supporting a [prolonged] and dangerous heatwave from the Midwest into the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast,” said the National Weather Service (NWS) in a bulletin issued Thursday.
Widespread highs in mid 90s to low to mid 100s Fahrenheit, combined with relatively high dew points, will produce “heat indices between 100-115 degrees” on Thursday, the service said. Some areas will see daily temperature records as warm overnight low temperatures in the 70s or even 80s are possible.
According to the NWS, around 51 million people were under an extreme heat warning—including New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston—as of Thursday. A map released by the NWS that same day showed that a broader swath of people was under various heat advisories across much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
As of Thursday afternoon, it was 98 degrees in New York City, 100 degrees in Philadelphia, 98 degrees in Boston, 99 degrees in Washington, 99 degrees in Baltimore, and 101 degrees in New Jersey’s Newark.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised residents to stay cool inside and avoid “extraordinary temperatures,” also saying that people should turn their air conditioning units to 78 degrees in order to conserve power in order not to put a strain on utility companies.
“To be breaking into triple digits over the course of these many next days—it is of immense concern given that too often the heat is something that is underestimated,” Mamdani said.
The extreme heat only began creeping into New York City as of Wednesday morning, by which point the city had opened hundreds of cooling centers and deployed more than a dozen “cool vans” equipped with water, electrolytes, sunscreen, and meals for New Yorkers in need of relief, Mamdani said at a press conference.
The city has also extended public pool hours, opened additional cooling centers in libraries and municipal buildings, and expanded street outreach efforts.
PJM Interconnection, the largest regional power grid serving 67 million customers, forecast record summer electric demand of 166.3 gigawatts for Thursday, according to the grid operator’s latest forecast. PJM’s all-time summer demand record, set in 2006, is 165.6 GW.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy, in an order issued under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, said a statutory emergency exists in PJM Interconnection’s region due to a combination of surging electricity demand and limited generation capacity. PJM submitted a formal request on June 29, warning of an imminent electricity reliability emergency driven by high temperature forecasts of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
The grid operator also flagged that some generation units could face constraints due to a restriction under an environmental permit or state requirement. Meanwhile, the Energy Department said the order is necessary to ensure sufficient electricity supply and protect public safety.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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