Be careful out there tristate residents, this heat wave’s a bad one! The combination of “dangerous heat”, “excessive humidity”, and concerning air quality have caused the First Alert Weather Team to declare a “Red Alert”. According to the National Weather Service, such alerts are issued when the heat and humidity levels can start a fire. Lasting through Friday, the Red Alert will be effective in New York and other surrounding areas, CVS News declares.
New York City, Northern New Jersey, and the Hudson Valley have been issued an air quality alert: effective from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today, June 19, 2024. According to CBS News, the risk of poorer air quality is due to elevated ground levels of ozone.
NBC News has also mentioned that the air quality alert affects NY counties Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam.
While New Jersey and Connecticut had heat advisories in effect on Tuesday, and New Jersey’s set to have an excessive heat watch on Thursday and Friday, the same can’t be said for New York. This doesn’t mean, however, that things will be cooler. NBC has stated that inland areas should expect heat indices above 95 degrees.
Temperatures throughout the week are expected to steadily climb, with NY seeing highs of 92 and 93 on Thursday and Friday respectively, according to NBC’s Storm Team 4. Temperatures in the 90s are expected, along with high humidity and a heat index in the triple digits. Higher temperatures throughout the day also mean higher overnight lows. Even when the sun is down, there won’t be much relief.
Always prepared, NY is taking precautions. Gov. Kathy Hochul has put in place the National Guard to help people in the heat. Meanwhile, heat patrols, as assigned by the MTA, will inspect train tracks to ensure continued service is possible.
Unfortunately, next week might follow a similar pattern. After a high of roughly 93 in Central Park, predicted by NBC’s Weather Team, Sunday will also see dangerous heat and humidity. From there, early next week is expected to be in the upper 80s, hitting almost 90 near the middle of the week. Keep the AC on and the water bottles full folks, it’s going to be one hot summer.
