The Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday means that certain public libraries, senior centers, and pools where citizens may cool down will be closed. This information was provided by the cities that operated cooling facilities this week.
Days before summer officially began, a blast of heat and humidity hit the Midwest and Northeast, dampening celebrations and sports camps alike. Officials warned of the dangers and advised people to seek cover.
The Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday means that certain public libraries, senior centers, and pools where citizens may cool down will be closed. This information was provided by the cities that operated cooling facilities this week.
The National Weather Service predicted that the hazardous temperatures will peak on Wednesday and Thursday in the eastern Great Lakes and New England, then on Friday and Saturday in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. In several places, heat index values were predicted to reach between 100 and 105 degrees (37.7 to 40.5 degrees Celsius).
Both people and zoo animals had to devise strategies to avoid the oppressive heat.
For its employees, a Columbus, Ohio-based organization that distributes fruit to places with limited access to fresh food prepared frozen towels and packed cold water.
According to Monique McCoy, market manager for Local Matters Veggie Van, staying hydrated is essential.
With temperatures reaching the mid-90s (about 35 C), Toledo, Ohio, cancelled its weekly exercise event while a nearby suburb put off a street festival. Deliveries to a food pantry in upstate New York were halted on Wednesday due to concerns for volunteers and staff.
Tuesday, field visits to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse were canceled by New York schools because staff had put on water misters for both guests and the animals. According to Ted Fox, the executive director of the zoo, pieces of ice were being added to the pools of elephants and other animals.
When it's this warm, Fox added, even the tigers like to taste the ice and rest their heads on it.
For many, the blast of harsh temperatures arrived a bit too soon.
"This is a warm one, so I'm hoping that we're getting to see the downward trend in the temperature here soon," said Krista Voltolini, a vegetable vendor at a Columbus farmer's market. "This is hot for just moving into summer."
According to a new research, heat waves are becoming more prolonged and affecting more people due to climate change. The United States had more heat waves—abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days—last year than it has since 1936.
With a high of 97 degrees (36.1 C) on Monday, Chicago surpassed the temperature record set in 1957. Wednesday is expected to be yet another scorching day, but on Thursday and Friday, a cold front is expected to provide respite to locations close to Lake Michigan, according to the National Weather Service in Chicago.
That respite won't arrive in time for Chicago's Juneteenth holiday, when all but one cooling facility will close.
State Representative Lindsey LaPointe told The Chicago Sun-Times that she finds it incredibly concerning that during a heat wave, we are reducing the size of our cooling facilities. LaPointe is a representative of the Northwest Side of Chicago and works to protect vulnerable groups, including those without permanent housing.
When it's feasible, officials have asked the public to restrict their outside activities and to keep an eye on any family members or neighbors who could be at risk from the heat.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has called in the National Guard to help with any heat-related issues that may arise over the next several days. She said that on Wednesday and Thursday, there will be no entrance or parking costs in state parks, swimming areas, and beaches.
Hochul said on Tuesday that "we're doing everything we can to ensure that every life is protected" at this period of high danger.
After a relatively tranquil start to the fire season, flames broke out in California's historic Gold Country area, east of San Francisco, and in the mountains of northern Los Angeles County. There were 500 structures destroyed by wildfires in southern New Mexico on Tuesday in a 7,000-person mountain community that had to be evacuated quickly.
Meanwhile, the central Gulf Coast was more at risk of severe rain and flash floods due to a recent influx of tropical moisture. This year's hurricane season is predicted to be one of the busiest in recent memory.
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