WASHINGTON, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States sweltered in
dangerously hot weather on Sunday, with major cities including New York,
Philadelphia and Washington broiling in temperatures that rose into triple
digits.
An oppressive heat wave stretching from the Midwestern plains to the
Atlantic coast had nearly 150 million people struggling to stay cool in
stifling heat that set records in a handful of states.
By Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) said the high
temperatures would soon be over, but the severe weather would continue.
“The dangerous heat wave which enveloped much of the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend should finally break by Monday as a cold front drops southward,” the agency said.
However it warned that “showers and thunderstorms… with heavy to
excessive rainfall and severe weather possible” were expected across a swath of the east coast, and flash floods were a risk.
Around 95 million people were under a heat warning or advisory for Sunday, down from Saturday’s 157 million.
Earlier in the day the NWS said “numerous stations” stretching from
Massachusetts in the north to North Carolina in the south “were reporting
heat index values between 100-110” degrees, with the highest values found in the southeast of the state of Virginia.
The NWS said it had recorded all-time high temperatures on Saturday in
seven places in the US including Manchester, New Hampshire, Atlantic City,
New Jersey and New York’s JFK airport.
US media has blamed the heat wave for at least six deaths, including a
hiker who had been found unconscious on a trail outside Washington on
Saturday and two people who died earlier in the week in the eastern state of Maryland.
In Arkansas, 32-year-old former NFL player Mitch Petrus died of heatstroke
Thursday after working outside his family’s shop.
The New York City Triathlon, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was
cancelled for the first time since its founding in 2001.
Meanwhile, the two-day OZY Fest — a food, comedy and music festival set
for Central Park — was also called off.
In Washington, a popular weekly outdoor summer jazz concert at the
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden was cancelled.
New York city had opened 500 cooling centers for residents.
Climate data showed June was the hottest month on record worldwide, with a heat wave across Europe smashing national records. — NNN-AGENCIES