New York City’s dangerous heat wave continued on Friday, with heat index values expected to reach as high as 110 to 115 degrees — a potentially deadly level of heat for people without adequate cooling or hydration, according to the National Weather Service.
The city’s health department said there were 98 heat-related emergency visits on July 2, adding that this figure is in line with expectations for this level of heat. Extreme heat kills roughly 500 New Yorkers each year, making it one of the most deadly weather-related causes of death. Nineteen people died during a record-breaking heat wave in June of last year, according to the health department.
The city has expanded its network of cooling locations amid the punishing heat — New Yorkers can find the nearest cooling center by calling 311 or by using this map. Hours have also been extended at Olympic and intermediate-sized city pools; a list of locations can be found here.
New Yorkers and visitors looking to beat the heat flocked to Washington Square Park’s famous fountain on Friday.
Silvie Tango, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is in town from Nashville, Tennessee. She said she made the trip to see Fifth Avenue. But first, she had to dip her feet in the fountain.
“ I wish I can go in, but I can't,” she told Gothamist.
Tango said she thought Friday felt less hot than Thursday in New York. “ Today there is a wind, so it's more fresher,” she said.
New Yorker Brendan Stipes and his 6-year-old son Bobby took a break from showing family around the city to cool off in the fountain.
“ It is unbearable, but still people are out, and the energy of New York is still here,” Stipes said.
And John Kalyna, who was sitting on the fountain’s bottom step and soaking his legs in the water, said he’d been sitting in the same spot since 10 a.m.
“ It's funny because I was the only one here earlier, and then all of a sudden I see a whole bunch of other people jumping in,” he said. “So it's true, if you see other people jumping off the bridge, you're going to follow.”
Transit agencies around the region also had to contend with Friday’s torrid temperatures. NJ Transit recommended that commuters avoid all nonessential travel and warned of delays and cancellations. It said extreme heat can warp rail tracks and potentially damage the overhead wires that power its electric trains, meaning that trains must operate at reduced speeds. Amtrak also reported that the extreme temperatures could cause delays.
An MTA spokesperson said the subways and the Long Island Rail Road are operating without any heat-related delays. Speed reductions are in place along the Metro-North Railroad, however.
Con Edison’s outage map still showed scattered outages on Friday, mostly clustered around Queens, the Bronx and parts of Brooklyn. PSE&G’s outage map also showed scattered outages across North Jersey on Friday, the vast majority of which were in and around Bayonne.
Organizers with Sail4th, a parade of tall ships that will converge on New York’s Harbor from July 3-8 in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, strongly encouraged attendees to hydrate and bring personal cooling items for Saturday’s festivities. In a social media post, they said two complimentary bottles of water would be available for each guest with additional water available for sale. They added that the festival area would include misting fans, and that there would also be additional shaded areas.
Fans of Taylor Swift braved the sweltering heat to gather outside Madison Square Garden in anticipation of the singer’s wedding with Travis Kelce at the arena on Friday. Police closed a number of streets around MSG to vehicular and pedestrian traffic beginning at 1 p.m.
New York state officials also extended an air quality health advisory for ozone, which can trigger asthma attacks and exacerbate respiratory symptoms for sensitive groups.
