The second heat wave of 2011 will get cranking, with temperatures nearing 90 degrees and likely staying there for the rest of the week.
Computer weather models are getting more and more pessimistic about this week’s heat streak, upping temps by about five degrees for each day this week in the most recent model run. It now looks like temperatures will be 90 degrees or better for the remaining four days this week, with heat index values over 100 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday. I’d expect record highs to be broken across the tri-state on both days.
As any public health expert can tell you, it’s not necessarily the high temperatures during a heat wave that are the most dangerous — it’s the abnormally elevated LOW temperatures. Without a chance to recover at night, there’s considerably more stress is placed on the body, potentially leading to heat stroke or death. On Wednesday night, temperatures will bottom out at around 80 degrees in the city — marking the height of danger for this week’s heat wave. Thursday will be the hottest day of the year so far, with the mercury reaching 97 degrees.
Heat waves are already one of the top weather-related killers in the U.S. By the 2050s, New York City could see 47% to 95% more heat related deaths each year due to climate change, according to a Columbia University study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The National Weather Service has tips on how to beat a heat wave, and a bit more information on how heat wave forecasts work.
Tuesday’s Greater New York forecast roundup:
- WSJ Headquarters in Manhattan: Actual High: 88; RealFeel High: 92 Actual Low: 72; RealFeel Low: 71 Weather: Heat wave begins
- Brooklyn: 87/69
- Queens: 89/74
- Bronx: 89/71
- Staten Island: 89/67
- Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: 88/62
- Trenton, N.J.: 88/68
- Islip, Long Island: 85/65
- New Haven, Conn.: 84/63
