One person has died in the Big Apple’s longest heat wave in nine years.
The city Medical Examiner’s office said Saturday that one person succumbed to heat exposure as New York City sweltered under its fifth straight day in the 90s.
The unidentified victim also suffered from heart disease and pulmonary emphysema, according to the ME’s office, which did not provide further details.
The thermometer topped out at 94 degrees Saturday afternoon in Central Park, with “real feel” temperatures at around 98 degrees. The dangerous heat is predicted to climb even higher on Sunday.
Sunday’s top temperature is forecast to be a sizzling 98 degrees, which would break the record of 97 degrees set on the date in 2010.
With increased humidity, it’s going to feel like 100 to 106 degrees, said Marissa Lautenbacher, a Fox Weather meteorologist.
“It’s going to feel swampy. Kind of muggy,” Lautenbacher said. “The air’s feeling soupy, which makes it really hard for people to cool off.”
Monday will again bring temps in the low 90s, with the heat not breaking until storms roll in that night, Lautenbacher.
The stretch of scorchers means it will likely be the first time since 2013 that the Big Apple has hit at least 90 degrees for seven straight days.
On Tuesday, the high is expected to get to a balmy 87.
Con Edison said energy usage reached 10,059 megawatts by 2 p.m. Saturday, far below the utility’s 13,322 megawatt record hit during the 2013 heat wave. Some 60 New York City customers were experiencing heat-related power outages as of mid-afternoon, the utility said.
NYCHA said it had generators at the Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn to deal with an elevator outage connected to the heat.
An air quality health advisory was in effect for Saturday and Sunday and a heat advisory wasn’t set to expire until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Heat warnings and advisories were in place across the country this weekend, impacting more than 77 million Americans. Europeans were also sweltering under extreme heat and wildfires broke out at a tourist destination in Greece Saturday.
Dr. Elan Levy, the medical director at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, said it was best to avoid going outside during the hottest times of the day and that anyone experiencing symptoms including a headache, dizziness, confusion. excessive sweating and muscle cramps should go to a cool place. The city operates cooling centers at libraries, senior centers, NYCHA facilities and community centers in all five boroughs.
“If your symptoms aren’t getting better after removing yourselves from a hot environment then you might want to seek medical care,” Levy said.
The scorching temperatures led many New Yorkers to flock to the beach Saturday, only to be told to get out of the water at Rockaway Beach after shark sightings in the mid-afternoon.
“We will reopen the beach when it is safe to do so,” the Parks Department tweeted at 2:14 p.m.
The shark sightings came just as the new Rockaway Rocket express ferry service began from Lower Manhattan to the beach.
“Unbearable. I can’t wait for the spring,” Tatianna Rodriguez, 35, a Bronx resident, said before biting into an ice cream bar at a packed Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways Sunday.
Shanice London, 27, a Harlem resident, came to Jacob Riis Saturday but said she did not plan to go outside at all Sunday.
“Brutal. It’s very much brutal. You need to be able to hydrate and focus on cool thoughts. Cool energy to go with the hotness,” London said of the heat while sitting on a water cooler and using a hand fan before hitting the sand.
Isabelle Shen, 27, a Manhattan resident, sat on the beach like a hermit crab with a towel covering her face and body.
“Why do I have a towel over my head? Because it’s hot and it’s the best way to stay cool,” she said. “My plan for tomorrow is to stay inside. I’m an avid rock climber, so I’ll just go to the gym.”
West Village resident Rei Tran, 26, said she has strategized when to take out her 7-year-old Jack Russell terrier in order to keep cool.
“I wait for a cloud to come and walk my dog. I retreat to my home when the cloud goes away and the sun returns,” said Tran, who was at Jacob Riis Saturday under an umbrella. She noted the dog was in a better position because she was at home in the air conditioning.
