logo
One more sizzling hot day for the eastern US before temperatures plunge 30 degrees

One more sizzling hot day for the eastern US before temperatures plunge 30 degrees

NEW YORK (AP) — A record-smashing heat wave broiled the U.S. East for another day Wednesday, even as thermometers were forecast to soon plunge by as many as 30 degrees in the same areas.
The day's heat wasn't expected to be as intense as Tuesday, when at least 50 heat records were matched or broken and 21 places hit triple-digit temperatures. About 127 million Americans remained under National Weather Service heat advisories, down from the previous day. Sizzling temperatures sent utilities scrambling to keep the air conditioning and lights on amid massive demand for power.
'It's still going to be, I think, pretty bad across the East,'' meteorologist Bob Oravec of the Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday morning. 'I think today is probably the last day of widespread record potential. It might not be quite as hot as yesterday by a few degrees. But still, high temperatures are expected in the upper 90s across a good section of the East.'
The weather service warned of 'extreme heat' for a stretch of the country from North Carolina to New York and west to West Virginia. Highs could approach triple digits from New York to Richmond, Oravec said.
Temperatures Wednesday morning were 'a little bit warmer than expected' because of northwesterly winds bringing 'warm leftovers from yesterday,' said former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist. Nantucket, Massachusetts, was above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) when its forecast high was 82.
Weather whiplash
The high pressure heat dome that has baked the East was forecast to break. A cold front began moving south from New England, bringing with it clouds and cooler temperatures — not only cooler than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), but cooler than normal.
That air mass drawing on cool ocean waters will send temperatures plummeting by the end of the week in Philadelphia, which hit a record high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, said Ray Martin, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Air temperatures will be in the low 70s Fahrenheit (20s Celsius).
'It's going to feel like a shock to the system, but it's not anything particularly unusual,' said Martin.
Boston's forecast high for Friday is 34 degrees lower than what it hit Tuesday.
'It's going to feel like a different season,' Oravec said.
However, it won't last. After one or two days, slightly hotter than normal temperatures are forecast, but not anywhere near the highs from earlier this week, Oravec said.
Weather whiplash from one extreme to another occurs more often as the world warms overall from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, scientists said.
Records smashed
Tuesday was likely the peak of the heat, with Baltimore the king of swelter. The city's high of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) smashed a previous record by four degrees. At night, when the human body needs cooling, temperatures only dropped to 87 Fahrenheit (30 Celsius).
Baltimore was hardly alone. A dozen weather stations were 101 degrees or higher, including two New York airports. Boston hit 102, breaking its old record by seven degrees. Augusta, Maine's 100-degrees also broke its old record by seven degrees.
Every coastal state from Maine to South Carolina hit 100 degrees somewhere, with Georgia and Florida clocking in at 99 on Tuesday.
'Generally speaking, the mid-Atlantic areas ... don't have to prepare for extreme heat the way Arizona or Texas do,' University of Texas energy engineering professor Michael Webber said in an email. 'So, extreme heat is less familiar and therefore more operationally challenging for them. ... And, they haven't built as many new power plants.'
Extreme heat caused the road to buckle in two locations on an interstate highway in northern New Jersey. State transportation officials say the impact on the concrete roadway in Morris County on Tuesday afternoon forced some lane closures as temporary repairs were made. Crews then began work to replace the damaged areas and repave those sections.
Some downtown Chicago streets will close Wednesday night to repair pavement that has buckled due to hot temperatures amid an ongoing heat wave in the city.
'Pavement failures or blowouts occur when prolonged high temperatures cause the road to expand and buckle up or blow out, resulting in uneven driving surfaces,' the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a statement.
In Chesapeake, Virginia, a heat-related malfunction prompted a bridge to remain stuck in the open position.
___
Isabella O'Malley in Philadelphia; Alexa St. John in Detroit; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey; and Christine Fernando contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's
standards
for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
AP.org
.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood

time4 minutes ago

Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood

As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and visitors in an area known as 'flash flood alley.' At a series of briefings since the flooding on July 4, Kerr County officials have deflected a series of pointed questions about preparations and warnings as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. The county in the scenic Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps, including Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp that announced Monday it lost at least 27 campers and counselors. 'Today's not the day and now's not the time to discuss the warnings, who got them, who didn't got them. Right now I'm only worried about public safety," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday during an emergency session of the county commissioners court. Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said Monday that authorities were reluctant to 'cry wolf' and order evacuations, adding that rainfall 'significantly' exceeded the projected amounts. He said officials had little time to react in the middle of the night, adding that qualified first responders were being 'swept away' driving through the initial rainfall. 'This rose very quickly in a very short amount of time,' Rice said. In the 48 hours before the floods, the potential for heavy rains put precautions in motion as the state activated an emergency response plan and moved resources into the central Texas area. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios, more than three hours before the first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4:35 a.m. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency. The warning included Hunt, the small town that's home to Camp Mystic. Girls who were rescued from the camp have said they were woken up after midnight by strong storms that knocked out power. Bright flashes from lightning strikes showed the river rising rapidly. It was not immediately clear what kind of evacuation plans Camp Mystic might have had. Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed serious risk to life and property in the region, and a county government report last year warned the threat was getting worse. Kerr County's hazard mitigation action plan reported at least 106 'flood occurrences' dating back to 1960. Local officials determined that another flood was likely in the next year and that 'future worst-case flood events' could be more severe than those of the past. The risk of a 500-year flood was 'not negligible' and could lead to downed power lines, stranded residents and buildings that were damaged 'or even completely washed away,' the report warned. Climate change could make the river flooding more frequent, it noted. The region has known significant tragedy. A 1987 flood after a heavy rain prompted the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort. A wall of water quickly swamped buses and vans. Ten teenagers died. Decades later, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which manages the river watershed, released a video to YouTube titled 'Be Flood Aware 2017.' Viewed over 40,000 times online, the video outlines the history of the Guadalupe River, its history of tragic flooding and ways the public can remain safe when floodwaters rise. 'Terrain here is unique for flash flooding,' the video noted. It mentioned the dangers of a significant rainfall near the river's headwaters near Camp Mystic. The video noted the shallow headwaters with limestone underneath the riverbed. 'If you get 3 or 4 inches of rain at one time, that can be a real serious problem,' the video warned. The storm that hit last Friday dumped more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) on the area in three hours. The river rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes. In January 2017, the Kerr County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an application for a $975,00 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a flood warning system, according to transcripts of the meeting. Less than a year later, commissioners learned the grant was not approved. Most of that funding went to communities hit by Hurricane Harvey. The river authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in Kerr County as a top priority in its last three annual strategic plans. Kerr County commissioners considered several years ago a proposal for a flood warning system similar to sirens used for tornadoes in other parts of the country, including in nearby Comal County, which includes part of the Guadalupe River. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who was not on the commission at the time but attended meetings, said the warning system idea was shelved because residents 'reeled at the cost.' Nicole Wilson, a San Antonio mother who took her daughters out of a neighboring hill country camp ahead of the flooding amid concerns about its evacuation plans, said county leaders need to push for one. Wilson launched an online petition calling for Kerr County to install flooding warning sirens to alert in real time. She plans to present the signatures to Gov. Greg Abbott when lawmakers convene in a special session July 23. She called a siren system 'almost a no-brainer.' 'I'm sure those children expected at any moment that an adult was going to rescue them,' she said. 'I don't think there can be much more heartbreak than that, and so if there's a way to prevent it, it needs to be implemented quickly.'

Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China
Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China

San Francisco Chronicle​

timean hour ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A mountain river flooded by monsoon rains swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal with China and 18 people were also swept away by the flooding Tuesday, Nepali authorities said. Rescue efforts were underway as officials assess the damage and search for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts. The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. The flooding also swept away several houses and trucks that were parked at the border for customs inspections. Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China were also parked at the border point. The 18 missing are 12 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route. The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal. ___

Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China
Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China

Hamilton Spectator

time2 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Monsoon floods sweep away 18 people and the main bridge linking Nepal to China

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A mountain river flooded by monsoon rains swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal with China and 18 people were also swept away by the flooding, Nepali authorities said Tuesday. Rescue efforts were underway Tuesday as officials assess the damage and search for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts. The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu, in the early hours of Monday. The flooding also swept away several houses and trucks that were parked at the border for customs inspections. Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China were also parked at the border point. The 18 missing are 12 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route. The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal. Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store