MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Tens of millions of people across the Midwest and East endured dangerously hot temperatures again on Sunday as a rare June heat wave that gripped much of the U.S. was expected to last into the coming week.
Most of the northeastern quadrant of the country from Minnesota to Maine was under some type of heat advisory. So were parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi, the National Weather Service said.
The weather service office in Wakefield, Virginia, warned of sweltering conditions through Wednesday.
“Please plan ahead to take frequent breaks if you must be outside, stay hydrated and provide plenty of water and shade for any outdoor animals,” the office said on X.
Sunday marked the second straight day of extreme heat across the Midwest and East Coast. Heat indices on Saturday hit 103 F (39.4 C) in Chicago and 101 F (38.3 C) in Madison, Wisconsin, turning that city’s annual naked bike ride into a sticky and sweaty affair.
Meteorologists say a phenomenon known as a heat dome, a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity, is responsible for the extreme temperatures.
‘I just want to sit in my air conditioning’
Lynn Watkins, 53, is the director of Sacred Hearts Day Care in Sun Prairie, a Madison suburb. She said that she tried to sit outside Saturday to grill but it was so hot she had to go inside. She plans to cancel all outdoor activities at the day care on Monday with highs around 93 F (33.8 C) forecast.
“I can’t stand being outside when it’s like this,” she said. “I just want to sit in my air conditioning.”
The temperature reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) in the Chicago area by 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Forecasts called for heat indices of between 100 and 105 degrees F (37.7 to 40.5 degrees C).
The heat index in Pittsburgh was expected to top 105 F. The temperature in Columbus, Ohio, was 77 F (25 C) at 8:30 a.m. Highs there were expected to reach 97 F (36 C) with a heat index around 104 F (40 C).
Forecasts called for a heat index of 100 F in Philadelphia on Sunday, with a 108 F (42.2 C) heat index on Monday.
Philadelphia declares a heat emergency
The city’s public health department declared a heat emergency Sunday lasting until Wednesday evening. Officials directed residents to air-conditioned libraries, community centers and other locations, and set up a “heat line” staffed by medical professionals to discuss conditions and illnesses made worse by the heat. At Lincoln Financial Field, officials said each fan attending Sunday’s FIFA World Cup match would be allowed to bring in one 20-ounce (0.6-liter) plastic bottle of water.
With temperatures in the mid-80s, Maryland’s Rehoboth Beach was crowded Sunday.
“It’s only going to get worse,” said beachgoer Vak Kobiashvili. “People are trying to get out to the beach before it’s too hot to really even manage to be outside.”
Kobiashvili said even his dog didn’t want to be outside.
“East Coast weather, at least from my perspective, is just very sweaty in the summer,” he said. “It’s that walking through a swamp kind of feeling.”
Forecasters warned the heat index in Cromwell, Connecticut, would reach 105 F on Sunday, which could make life brutal for golfers Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley as they compete during the final round of the Travelers Championship. The index on the TPC River Highlands course stood at 98 degrees F (36.6 degrees C) at 3:18 p.m. Fans sought shelter under trees and on air-conditioned benches. Many lined up for water at a hydration station near the ninth green.
Karin Skalina, of New York, had been in the sun-soaked bleachers by the eighth green and eventually sought relief on a ventilated cooling bench. “Didn’t work,” she said.
“(We’re) trying to follow the shade,” Skalina said.
Courtney Kamansky, of Newington, Connecticut, had been to the tournament before and came prepared with extra water bottles. Asked if she was able to find shade, she pointed to her umbrella and said, “I bring it with me.”
Heat to persist into the coming week with highest temperatures shifting eastward
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz got sick Saturday while playing in the extreme heat against the Cardinals in St. Louis. Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton, facing the Cubs in Chicago, also fell ill.
The heat is expected to persist into the coming week, with the highest temperatures shifting eastward. New York City is expected to see highs around 95 F (35 C) on Monday and Tuesday. Boston is on track for highs approaching 100 F (37.7 C) on Tuesday, and temperatures in Washington, D.C., were expected to hit 100 F on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mark Gehring, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sullivan, Wisconsin, said this level of heat is not uncommon during the summer months in the U.S., although it usually takes hold in mid-July or early August. The most unusual facet of this heat wave is the sheer amount of territory sweltering under it, he said.
“It's basically everywhere east of the Rockies,” he said, referring to the Rocky Mountains. “That is unusual, to have this massive area of high dewpoints and heat.”
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Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; Mingson Lau in Rehoboth Beach, Maryland; and Jimmy Golen in Cromwell, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
