Oppressive heat broke daily high temperature records Sunday in several northeastern cities — prompting local officials to declare heat emergencies.
Newark Liberty International Airport hit a high of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous record for July 24 set in 2010 of 99 degrees. In Boston, temperatures reached 100 degrees, topping the previous record of 98 degrees, which was set in 1933.
Providence, Rhode Island, hit 98 degrees, similarly besting a record of 94 set in 1933. And Philadelphia hit 99 degrees, just topping its record set in 2011 of 98 degrees.
More than 60 million people across the US are still under heat alerts Monday morning as high temperatures persist, primarily in the Northeast, central US and Pacific Northwest.
New York City, Newark and Boston remain under heat advisories until Monday evening, as heat index values could still climb into the upper 90s. Philadelphia is under an excessive heat warning until Monday evening, with heat index values anticipated to reach up to 100 degrees. But after Tuesday, temperatures in the Northeast will begin to drop closer to normal levels.
Meanwhile, parts of the Pacific Northwest — which experienced a much cooler start to the year compared to eastern counterparts — are under several excessive heat watches Monday that have the potential to be upgraded to heat warnings as the day goes on. Those high temperatures are expected to stretch on through the week and may continue into next week.
“Daytime highs will surpass the 90s each day and even eclipse the century mark in the Columbia River Gorge and Columbia River Basin,” the Weather Prediction Center said. “Daily record highs will likely be broken from northern California to the Portland and Seattle metro areas on Tuesday.”
Seattle is under a heat advisory from noon Tuesday through late Friday evening, and Portland is under an excessive heat warning starting Monday through Thursday evening with high temperatures between 98 and 103 degrees anticipated.
Cities across the Central Plains — including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Springfield, Missouri, also find themselves under heat advisories Monday, with high temperatures expected to climb into the upper 90s and triple digits through at least midweek.
Excessive heat warnings are in effect in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, where heat index values could go as high as 112 degrees.
A sweltering weekend
The weekend saw sizzling temperatures that put more than 90 million people under excessive heat alerts Sunday across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio River Valley, and Central Plains.
Cities baking under the prolonged heat moved to provide relief measures, including cooling stations, splash pads and additional outreach to people experiencing homelessness.
“As we lengthen the heat emergency for a second time, it is evident that a changing climate is a public health risk for our City,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. “I’m thankful for the many City employees who have helped us get through the first part of this emergency, and urge residents to continue to take care of one another.”
On Saturday, at least one person died from heat exposure in New York City, according to the medical examiner’s office, which notes the man had preexisting conditions. The city’s high temperature that day was 97 degrees.
Excessive heat brings power outages
Scorching heat left tens of thousands without power over the weekend as high temperatures drove outages, conditions which were exacerbated in some regions by ongoing storms.
In Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, approximately 20,000 customers were struck by a power outage Sunday, power company Eversource said in a statement.
Eversource was working to restore power to a remaining approximately 7,500 customers Sunday afternoon, and advised residents to avoid using large appliances during peak hours and adjust their thermostats to a few degrees higher than normal to reduce energy usage.
New York City electricity provider Con Edison said its workers continued “restoring scattered outages caused by the scorching heat” Sunday afternoon as the company also prepared for another weather challenge — forecast thunderstorms Monday.
The company did not say how many of its customers were affected by the outages, but said in a statement Sunday that its employees have been “replacing and repairing cable and other equipment to get customers back in service.”
The company said it planned to bring in additional employees to help fix damaged overhead wires and equipment in anticipation of Monday’s storms.
Saturday afternoon storms in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, knocked out power for more than 10,000 customers, leaving impacted residents without electricity as near-record temperatures were forecast across the region.
CNN’s Samantha Beech, Haley Brink, Liam Reilly, Emily Chang and Benjamin Schiller contributed to this report.