New York City is experiencing "extreme heat" this week, according to city officials, as highs hit the low to mid-90s across the five boroughs with a heat index around 100 degrees.
The city has opeed cooling centers at dozens of locations in each borough, offering free air conditioning and water to anyone who needs it. Find a nearby cooling center here.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams said the city was “looking at temperatures in the upper 90s on Wednesday and Thursday.”
A heat advisory is in effect for the five boroughs through 8 p.m. Sunday, with heat indices of around 100 degrees on tap, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service.
The city warned New Yorkers to avoid strenuous activity.
Weak high pressure will allow for sunny to mostly sunny skies today. Hot and humid conditions continue with temperatures expected to reach the mid to upper 90s for most. Max heat index values will be in the upper 90s to low 100s. #NYCwx #NYwx #CTwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/A5Xvn1i9r8
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) July 20, 2022
“This is serious heat, and we’re really concerned about those, particularly with pre-existing conditions,” Adams said. “The Office of Emergency Management is on top of this, but we cannot stress enough to, you know, take all the necessary precautions and the basic things, check on elders, drink water, you know, rest if you’re outdoors, just really, you know, be conscious of the heat that we’re facing.”
New Yorkers can find heat wave-related resources on OEM’s website, the mayor noted. Gov. Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, warned of "dangerously high heat" this week in a statement.
"The next several days will bring extreme heat throughout the state with dangerous heat indices potentially reaching into the 100s," Hochul said. "I am urging all New Yorkers to prepare for heat and humidity this week and to keep a close eye on the weather over the next couple of days. As New Yorkers, we take care of one another, so please don't forget to check on neighbors, especially seniors, those with young children, and people with disabilities."
Cooling centers will be open starting tomorrow, Tuesday, 7/19, at 9 AM. Check out the cooling center map to find the center closest to you: https://t.co/HC866LIrgy #BeatTheHeat pic.twitter.com/WSiT1Z3wDb
— NYC Emergency Management (@nycemergencymgt) July 19, 2022
The heat will continue throughout the rest of the week. Due to the heat, the Department of Homeless Services issued a Code Red Alert for Tuesday, which triggers enhanced outreach efforts for homeless New Yorkers.
During a Code Red, shelter is available "for anyone who is reasonably believed to be homeless," the city said on their website. Outreach teams will be dispersed, encouraging vulnerable individuals to accept services, which include transportation to shelters, according to the city.
The city’s Parks Department has also extended outdoor pool hours from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at all Olympic and intermediate-sized pools.
“This is the new normal,” NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said in an interview with NY1 Wednesday. "New York has had the luxury over most of our recent history of having a pretty moderate weather. And that's changing."
In an unrelated statement responding to the Supreme Court decision limiting the federal government's ability to regulate greenhouse gasses in June, the city's health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said increasingly hot weather caused by climate change "results in about 370 deaths every summer, inequitably affecting people of color."
With NYC under an extreme heat threat @nycemergencymgt Commissioner @zachiscol joined @AntPascaleNY1 to discuss how the city is preparing, and how these types of weather events may happen more frequently. #MorningsOn1 pic.twitter.com/5olWQay6aJ
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 20, 2022