New York, Northeast Will See Temperatures Soar This Week

New York City and the Northeast will see temperatures surge this week as another wave of sultry weather shifts across the eastern US and southern Canada.

Temperatures are forecast to top 90F (32C), potentially peaking at 98F in Central Park Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Heat advisories and extreme heat watches have popped up across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic from Delaware to Maine, joining a wide arc across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, upper Midwest and even southern Canada.

The bout of hot weather comes shortly after a heat wave that swept the eastern US earlier this month, stressing power grids, disrupting Fourth of July holiday celebrations and bringing stifling conditions to World Cup soccer matches.

“It won’t be as extreme in intensity and won’t be quite as long as we experienced for the July Fourth weekend,” said Rich Otto, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. “Tuesday and Wednesday will be the two hotter days and then things will cool down gradually through the end of the week.”

High temperatures can push up energy demand as people crank up air conditioners to keep cool. They also put pressure on transportation networks, with expanding rails slowing train travel.

PJM Interconnection LLC, the largest power grid in the US, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. issued “hot weather” alerts for the coming days to make sure power plants are ready to deal with a spike in demand. Forward power prices for the east of the country were largely contained Monday.

Across the northern US and southern Canada, readings will range from 3F to 8F above normal this week, Commodity Weather Group said. Starting Saturday, the worst of the heat is set to shift into the Pacific Northwest, the forecaster said.

NYC Heat

Accounting for the humidity, temperatures this week may feel as hot as 104F across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, the National Weather Service said. “Homes without air conditioning can be much hotter than outdoor temperatures,” the agency warned.

At least 60 daily-high temperature records may be threatened, tied or broken through Saturday, the Weather Prediction Center said. On Wednesday, New Brunswick, New Jersey, may reach 99F, which would surpass 1995’s 98F record for the day, the agency said. Boston could reach 97F the same day.

Nights will also be warm, again boosting energy demand while stressing people and animals unable to recover from the daytime heat.

Yellow and orange heat warnings have also been posted across Canada from southeastern Alberta to Quebec, including Toronto, North America’s fourth most-populous city, where temperatures are forecast to approach 99F Tuesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada said.

Heat advisories and extreme heat watches are also appearing across southern California, including Los Angeles, where temperatures will reach 89F on Tuesday before pushing to a peak of 95F on Wednesday, forecasts show.

Photo: Pedestrians hold umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun at Brooklyn Bridge Park during high temperatures in the Brooklyn borough of New York on July 3.