Hot weather brings warnings around East region
WASHINGTON — The official start of summer is still two weeks away, but much of the nation is sweating through near-record temperatures, with heat advisories and warnings issued across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest on Wednesday.
The deaths of four elderly people in Tennessee and Maryland have already been attributed to the heat in recent days, and public schools in Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey cut their school days short to limit the amount of time students spent in buildings with no air conditioning.
The National Weather Service is predicting a heat wave with temperatures nearing 100 degrees along parts of the East Coast and in the South. Forecasters said it will feel even hotter with high humidity and a ridge of high pressure parked there through Thursday.
In the nation's capital, National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Peloquin said the high was predicted to be close to the record 98 degrees set in 1999. The normal high temperature this time of year is about 82.
At the National Zoo, visitors took breaks on benches in the shade and kids cooled off however they could.
"Water!" shouted 8-year-old Amanda Squires when she spotted a misting station as she walked with her school group from Beaverdam, Va.
Her dad, Allen Squires, told her not to get soaking wet. Squires said he and his daughter tried looking at the zoo's cheetah exhibit but the animals appeared to be hiding from the heat.
Nine-year-old Ryan Winegardner said he didn't mind the high temperatures.
"At least you don't have fur," said his dad, Doug Winegardner.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Baltimore-Washington region and a higher-level excessive heat warning for Philadelphia, where similar temperatures are forecast. Heat advisories also were issued for parts of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.
Air quality alerts also were issued across the region, including in New Jersey. Officials said ozone levels could cause problems for children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. The state's Health Department said men ages 65 to 84 years of age are the largest group hospitalized for heat exposure each year.
In the District of Columbia, trash collection was to begin an hour earlier than normal because of the extremely hot weather forecast. City officials warned residents not to open fire hydrants to cool off because it reduces water pressure and hampers firefighting.
As the heat wave has pushed east, it has crushed previous record highs in St. Louis and St. Paul, Minn., where the mercury reached 102 degrees on Tuesday and finally melted a giant snow pile in a Sears parking lot.