BOSTON (AP) — A blistering heat wave Wednesday extended from the Midwest to New England, leaving millions of people sweltering through the Juneteenth holiday.
The dangerous temperatures were expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
Heat index readings were expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees (37.7 C to 40.5 C) in many locations.
“We are seeing a ridge of upper level high pressure, which is bringing all this heat from the southern United States,” said Kyle Pederson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston.
“That is just causing lots of hot temperature in the mid- to upper 90s and the heat index to reach over 100. It’s just going to make it feel warmer than it is outside,” he said. “You will really feel that humidity and feel the heat quicker.”
The conditions were expected to scale back some Juneteenth activities and limited options for relief. Cities that opened cooling centers this week advised that Wednesday’s holiday meant some public libraries, senior centers and pools where residents could beat the heat would be closed.
Officials have urged people to limit outdoor activities when possible and to check in with family members and neighbors who may be vulnerable to the heat.
In New York, state parks have free admission Wednesday and Thursday, and select state-run pools and beaches opened early for swimming, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
New York City beaches were open but public swimming pools were closed until next week. The city has a list of hundreds of air conditioned sites that are free and open to the public. Public libraries, which have been used as cooling centers during other heat waves, were closed Wednesday because of the Juneteenth federal holiday.
People and even zoo animals were forced to find ways to thwart the muggy weather.
A recent study found that climate change is making heat waves move more slowly and affect more people for a longer time. Last year, the U.S. saw the greatest number of heat waves — abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days — since 1936.
