New York City activates cooling centers during the late summer heatwave

An unusual post-Labour Day heat wave blankets the Big Apple this week, prompting a Heat warning for the area And making it feel more like July than back-to-school season.

“People may be on the brink of fall and think we’re done with this, so to speak, but that’s definitely not the case this year,” said meteorologist Dominique Ramoni of the National Weather Service.

The forecast highs for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Central Park are expected to be around 91, with Wednesday’s slight high of 92, according to the National Weather Service. But the extra moisture will only make things feel even hotter.

“Extreme heat indices basically every day can get close to 100 degrees in some locations, so this is clearly one of the hottest weather we’ve seen,” Ramone said. “This may be one of the hottest airs we’ve dealt with this year.”

And in a rare move after Labor Day, New York City opened 500 cooling stations across its five boroughs for residents to beat the heat in air-conditioned spaces. Cone Edison urged New York customers to use energy wisely to avoid potential overloads on the grid.

And temperatures could break records if they exceed 93 or 94 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing with it concerns about vulnerable populations.

“Heat is one of the biggest weather killers out there,” Ramone said, encouraging New Yorkers to practice “thermal safety” outdoors by staying hydrated, taking breaks in the shade and staying away from strenuous exercise during the hottest hours of the day.

Con Edison said there is a possibility of intermittent power outages when people turn on the air conditioner.

“The heat, humidity and increased demand for electricity to run air conditioners can cause stress on the system and lead to sporadic outages,” said company spokesman Alan Drury. “Con Edison crews stand ready to respond to any service issues that may arise due to the unusual September heat that has hit the area this week.”

To save money and energy, the company recommends that customers close unoccupied rooms, set air conditioners to their highest comfortable temperatures, keep curtains closed, and turn on appliances such as ovens, dishwashers, and washing machines early in the morning or at night when the temperatures outside are cooler.

While summer didn’t technically end for a few more weeks, heat waves in September are a bit unusual: Only about one in every September 10, Ramoni explained, features the requisite three days at 90 degrees or more that An official heat wave.

About one in six years never experiences a heat wave, according to National Weather Service statistics over the past 150 years.

In this case, the slow-moving heat bubble is the result of a series of anomalous jet streams over the United States that Ramone said has some associations with the remnants of Hurricane Adalia as it moves over the ocean and prevents the warmth from continuing to move east.

Find a cooling center near you here.