“Extended high temperatures in the mid-90s and low 100s will blanket most of the country Thursday and Friday,” the National Weather Service warned Wednesday. The areas at highest risk for dangerously hot temperatures span the southwestern, central and south-central US along with the mid-Atlantic coastal region and the Northeast, the weather service noted. The painful heat wave prompted state and local leaders to declare heat emergencies and offer resources to residents to mitigate the high temperatures. Philadelphia declared a heat emergency for Thursday because of the expected oppressive heat, activating emergency programs such as special outreach teams making home visits and outreach to people experiencing homelessness, the health department said in a news release. Similarly in New York, residents are encouraged to stay indoors in the coming days as heat continues to sweep the state to avoid “dangerous conditions that can lead to heat stress and illness,” according to Jackie Bray, commissioner of home state. security and emergency services department. Temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit are expected to linger in New York, Philadelphia and Boston through the weekend — if not longer. Meanwhile, triple-digit heat will continue to scorch parts of California, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee on Thursday — meaning 1 in 5 Americans will endure dangerous conditions after a already a historic week for record-high heat, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said. The heat is expected to persist through the weekend in many places, and more than 85% of the population — or 275 million Americans — could see high temperatures above 90 degrees next week. More than 60 million people could see high temperatures above 100 degrees over the next seven days. Extreme heat in the US was accompanied by deadly conditions in Europe, where records were broken and the European Forest Fire Information System put 19 European countries on “extreme danger” fire alert.
Triple digit heat records in many situations
Triple-digit highs were set Tuesday and Wednesday in several locations in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, where Tulsa EMS reported responding to nearly 250 heat-related emergency calls so far this year. “These numbers are what we would expect to see in mid to late August,” Adam Paluka, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, said Wednesday. “So we’re four to six weeks ahead of where we would normally see those call numbers in the mid-200s.” “It’s very concerning,” he added, “especially because the number of patients being transported shows that some of these calls are heatstroke, which can be fatal.” In Abilene, Texas, temperatures on Wednesday reached 110 Fahrenheit, breaking the 1936 record for that date. Another record high of 104 degrees was set in San Antonio, Texas, surpassing the 101 degrees last set in 1996. And as of Tuesday, the Austin area had seen 100 degrees on 38 of the past 44 days, according to the weather service. “We’re asking people to conserve energy so the systems can continue to operate,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said Wednesday. “We’re asking everyone to do it so we can get through this together.” The Electric Reliability Board of Texas, which operates about 90 percent of Texas’ electric grid, said it set another record Wednesday for power demand — surpassing the record set the day before. Also on Wednesday, a record high of 103 degrees in Fayetteville, Arkansas, surpassed the 102 degrees seen on that date in 2012. Another Arkansas city, Mountain Home, saw 107 degrees Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. “This would break the old record high of 102 degrees for that date set in 2012. Official record reports aren’t sent out until midnight, but it sure looks like a new record high,” the weather service wrote Wednesday night.
Braving the heat
To help residents beat the heat, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that at least 12 community centers will open to anyone looking to cool off. In addition, more than 50 splash pads will be available at city parks and playgrounds, he said, as he declared a heat emergency through Thursday. Meanwhile, some local officials have taken the step of hiring heat chiefs to help deal with the extreme heat. Jane Gilbert, chief heat officer for Miami-Dade County, told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday that Miami now has nearly twice as many days with a heat index — as the air is — above 90 degrees than in the decade 1970. “This is not only about people’s health, but also their pocketbook. Outdoor workers can’t work as much, they lose work time. People can’t afford this AC, the higher cost of electricity. It’s both health and financial crisis.” David Hondula, director of the Office of Heat Response and Mitigation for Phoenix, echoed that sentiment, saying, “Heat can affect everyone, we’re all at risk.” High temperatures are one of the leading causes of weather-related death in the US, according to Kimberly McMahon, public weather services program manager at the National Weather Service. CNN’s Jason Hanna, Christina Maxouris, Mike Saenz, Dave Alsup, Robert Shackelford and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
