Millions across the eastern United States are bracing for a prolonged period of record-breaking heat as extreme temperatures spread from the Midwest, and the extreme heat is expected to persist through Independence Day weekend.
The sweltering conditions are set to push “feels-like” temperatures to 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 and 46.1 degrees Celsius) across much of the region, raising concerns about heat-related illnesses for vulnerable populations and threatening to strain already stretched power grids.
The intense heat mirrors a similar heatwave recently experienced in western Europe, an event scientists have stated would have been “virtually impossible” without human-induced climate change. Years of studies have consistently confirmed that greenhouse gas emissions are making heatwaves globally both more likely and more intense.
In Hill City, Kansas, postal worker Sabrina Hooper, 34, described the conditions as “completely debilitating” just a week into her new job, which involves walking up to 10 miles daily.
She finds brief respite from lawn sprinklers, noting: “It’s so nice. You can take your hat off, get it wet, slap it back on your head.” Hill City previously held the national record for the hottest spot for five consecutive days in 2012, with a heat index reaching 108 degrees.
Further east, in Chicago, 57-year-old high-school science teacher Michelle Klein began preparing for the heat over the weekend, stocking up on groceries and cold drinks, and ensuring her plants were well-watered.
“The basil was being a diva and needed another drink of water this morning,” she said Tuesday evening, having still taken her usual walk despite a 103-degree heat index.
Property investor Amy Kaspar, 50, in the city’s suburbs, received an urgent call from a tenant whose air conditioning unit simply couldn’t cope. “Combined with the wind, it feels like standing behind the exhaust of a bus right now in Chicago,” she said.
As the extreme heat began to creep into New York City on Wednesday morning, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that hundreds of cooling centers had been opened, alongside the deployment of more than a dozen “cool vans” equipped with water, electrolytes, sunscreen, and meals for residents in need.
At a senior center in Harlem, the air conditioning was running at full blast. Director Richard Allman confirmed the center, advertised as a public cooling space in 13 languages, would extend its hours over the July 4 weekend.
“We try to make this a comfortable place for people on an extra-hot day,” he stated.
Ahead of the heatwave, city officials had requested that operators of Times Square’s iconic billboards reduce their brightness to conserve energy, and urged businesses to set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Local energy provider Con Edison also advised customers to limit energy use between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The city has additionally extended public pool hours, opened more cooling centers in libraries and municipal buildings, and expanded street outreach efforts.
