A dangerous heat wave is tightening its grip on the East Coast, with the worst conditions arriving as millions prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July outdoors. The heat is expected to peak during one of the busiest travel and outdoor celebration periods of the year, prompting cities to expand cooling centers, shorten parade routes, and activate emergency response plans.
Affected Areas
Temperatures are forecast to climb into the upper 90s and low 100s from Washington, DC, to Boston, with humidity pushing ‘feels like’ temperatures as high as 110 degrees or more. More than 160 million people are under a Level 3 of 4 ‘major’ or Level 4 of 4 ‘extreme’ heat risk through the end of the week.
Cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Raleigh, North Carolina, are opening cooling centers and expanding public resources as the dangerous heat settles in. The federal government is also preparing for the strain, with the Department of Energy issuing emergency orders aimed at reducing the risk of power outages.
Health Risks
The heat waves have been triggered by intense heat domes and are clearly supercharged by global warming, experts say. The biggest concern isn’t just the daytime heat, but also the warm, humid nights that will provide little relief, with temperatures only falling into the 70s in many locations and struggling to drop below 80 degrees in urban areas.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
