US heat wave exposes infrastructure, health vulnerabilities – and it's not quite over yet
Extreme temperatures
Climate changeFacebookTweetLink
Follow
Buckled roads. Broken bridges. Delayed trains. Strained power grids that led to dangerous outages. Cases of heat illness and canceled sporting events. These were just a few of the effects from this week's oppressive heat wave, which brought the hottest day in over a decade on Tuesday.
As previous disasters have laid bare the United States' vulnerabilities to other types of extreme weather, this week is revealing strains in the country's infrastructure and highlighting the public health risks when faced with such record-breaking heat.
The heat wave comes as the odds of extreme heat events globally are growing steeply as the world warms, along with their severity and duration. As global average temperatures increase, heat waves are the type of extreme weather event that scientists can most reliably tie to climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution.
And this week's isn't over yet: Nearly 100 daily temperature records are threatened on Wednesday and heat indices are likely to reach the triple-digits along large portions of the East Coast. About 125 million people are still under extreme heat warnings and advisories on Wednesday.
When this heat wave began to build over the weekend, roads buckled in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa as the asphalt baked in the hot sun. On Monday, passengers had to be rescued from an Amtrak stuck in a Baltimore tunnel with no air conditioning. Widespread speed restrictions were put in place along multiple Amtrak routes due to the tendency for the heat to warp rail tracks, along with the potential for electrical outages. Numerous trains were canceled outright due to the weather. More roads cracked in the East Coast as the heat persisted, including interstates in New Jersey.
In New York City, subway platforms were transformed into saunas as temperatures in some areas soared to record levels for June, accompanied by sultry levels of humidity. In Massachusetts, the heat rendered some swing bridges inoperable.
Heat waves are the deadliest form of extreme weather in the US, according to the National Weather Service, and while the full extent of any deaths or health impacts from this heat may take weeks or longer to become known, there have been prominent instances of heat-related illnesses.
At least one death is being blamed on the heat in the St. Louis area, where a woman was reportedly living without water or air conditioning access for three days, police said.
Sixteen people were sent to the hospital and over 150 were evaluated for heat-related illnesses during two high school graduations in Paterson, New Jersey.
In Washington, DC, a K-Pop concert ended early due to a slew of heat-related health incidents on Monday night. And the Washington Monument remains closed on Wednesday due to the hot weather.
Multiple hospitals, including in New York City and Chicago, had trouble maintaining their power and air conditioning systems, leading to stifling conditions. In New York, utility company Con Edison urged residents to conserve power to avoid rolling outages.
Young hikers had to be rescued in New Hampshire due to heat-related injuries, and in Norfolk, Massachusetts, at least two firefighters were hospitalized due to exhaustion while battling flames in record hot conditions.
And temperatures were so hot in Charlotte, North Carolina, that athletes competing in FIFA Club World Cup games on Tuesday watched their teams play from inside the locker room while on the substitute bench, German pro soccer team Bayern Munich said in a post on X.
The heat peaked on Tuesday in many locations, with monthly records toppled from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic. In Augusta, Maine, the high temperature on Tuesday reached 100 degrees, its hottest on record for June and tying the state capital's all-time high temperature record.
Boston reached 102 degrees, setting a new June high temperature record. Tuesday is now tied for the third-hottest day on record for the city – any other days that have been as hot or hotter all occurred in July or August.
Philadelphia also marked its first 100-degree temperature reading since 2012, reaching 101 degrees Tuesday and setting the record for the city's hottest-ever day this early in the summer. The city broke Monday's daily high temperature record when it reached 99 degrees.
Records also fell in Providence, Rhode Island, where temperatures reached 100 degrees – a new high for June high. Meanwhile, Newark, New Jersey, reached 103 degrees, tying the June high temperature record.
In parts of New York City, temperatures climbed above the three-digit mark. John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens, hit 102 degrees on Monday afternoon – the first time since 2011 and the first time ever in the month of June. LaGuardia Airport, also in Queens, saw a high temperature of 101 degrees, tying its record for the month of June.
Forecast high temperatures for these locations on Wednesday are in the mid-to-upper 90s, with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees.
Studies have shown heat extremes have clear ties to global warming, as their likelihood and severity also increases significantly as global average temperature rises.
An analysis by the climate research nonprofit Climate Central found climate change made Tuesday's extreme heat in the Mid-Atlantic at least five times more likely to occur when compared with a modeled world without emissions from burning fossil fuels.
'There is no uncertainty around the fact that climate change makes heatwaves more intense and more frequent,' said climate scientist Fredi Otto, who leads an international group, World Weather Attribution, that examines extreme weather events and their potential climate change ties.
'We've always had dangerous heat, but in our warming world, that heat is pushing to new levels and extremes,' said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central.
As scientists continue to examine the ties between extreme weather and climate change, the link is becoming clearer.
'Nearly all extreme heat events that have been analyzed show an influence from climate change–meaning that climate change pushed the heat to new extremes, and often for longer periods of time,' she told CNN.
CNN's Rebekah Riess and CNN Meteorologist Linda Lam contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
One more sizzling hot day for the eastern US before temperatures plunge 30 degrees
NEW YORK — A record-smashing heat wave broiled the U.S. East for another day Wednesday, even as thermometers were forecast to soon plunge by as many as 30 degrees in the same areas. The day's heat wasn't expected to be as intense as Tuesday, when at least 50 heat records were matched or broken and 21 places hit triple-digit temperatures. About 127 million Americans remained under National Weather Service heat advisories, down from the previous day. Sizzling temperatures sent utilities scrambling to keep the air conditioning and lights on amid massive demand for power.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
One more sizzling hot day for the eastern US before temperatures plunge 30 degrees
NEW YORK (AP) — A record-smashing heat wave broiled the U.S. East for another day Wednesday, even as thermometers were forecast to soon plunge by as many as 30 degrees in the same areas. The day's heat wasn't expected to be as intense as Tuesday, when at least 50 heat records were matched or broken and 21 places hit triple-digit temperatures. About 127 million Americans remained under National Weather Service heat advisories, down from the previous day. Sizzling temperatures sent utilities scrambling to keep the air conditioning and lights on amid massive demand for power. 'It's still going to be, I think, pretty bad across the East,'' meteorologist Bob Oravec of the Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday morning. 'I think today is probably the last day of widespread record potential. It might not be quite as hot as yesterday by a few degrees. But still, high temperatures are expected in the upper 90s across a good section of the East.' The weather service warned of 'extreme heat' for a stretch of the country from North Carolina to New York and west to West Virginia. Highs could approach triple digits from New York to Richmond, Oravec said. Temperatures Wednesday morning were 'a little bit warmer than expected' because of northwesterly winds bringing 'warm leftovers from yesterday,' said former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist. Nantucket, Massachusetts, was above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) when its forecast high was 82. Weather whiplash The high pressure heat dome that has baked the East was forecast to break. A cold front began moving south from New England, bringing with it clouds and cooler temperatures — not only cooler than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), but cooler than normal. That air mass drawing on cool ocean waters will send temperatures plummeting by the end of the week in Philadelphia, which hit a record high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, said Ray Martin, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Air temperatures will be in the low 70s Fahrenheit (20s Celsius). 'It's going to feel like a shock to the system, but it's not anything particularly unusual,' said Martin. Boston's forecast high for Friday is 34 degrees lower than what it hit Tuesday. 'It's going to feel like a different season,' Oravec said. However, it won't last. After one or two days, slightly hotter than normal temperatures are forecast, but not anywhere near the highs from earlier this week, Oravec said. Weather whiplash from one extreme to another occurs more often as the world warms overall from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, scientists said. Records smashed Tuesday was likely the peak of the heat, with Baltimore the king of swelter. The city's high of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) smashed a previous record by four degrees. At night, when the human body needs cooling, temperatures only dropped to 87 Fahrenheit (30 Celsius). Baltimore was hardly alone. A dozen weather stations were 101 degrees or higher, including two New York airports. Boston hit 102, breaking its old record by seven degrees. Augusta, Maine's 100-degrees also broke its old record by seven degrees. Every coastal state from Maine to South Carolina hit 100 degrees somewhere, with Georgia and Florida clocking in at 99 on Tuesday. 'Generally speaking, the mid-Atlantic areas ... don't have to prepare for extreme heat the way Arizona or Texas do,' University of Texas energy engineering professor Michael Webber said in an email. 'So, extreme heat is less familiar and therefore more operationally challenging for them. ... And, they haven't built as many new power plants.' Extreme heat caused the road to buckle in two locations on an interstate highway in northern New Jersey. State transportation officials say the impact on the concrete roadway in Morris County on Tuesday afternoon forced some lane closures as temporary repairs were made. Crews then began work to replace the damaged areas and repave those sections. Some downtown Chicago streets will close Wednesday night to repair pavement that has buckled due to hot temperatures amid an ongoing heat wave in the city. 'Pavement failures or blowouts occur when prolonged high temperatures cause the road to expand and buckle up or blow out, resulting in uneven driving surfaces,' the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a statement. In Chesapeake, Virginia, a heat-related malfunction prompted a bridge to remain stuck in the open position. ___ Isabella O'Malley in Philadelphia; Alexa St. John in Detroit; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey; and Christine Fernando contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
12 taken to hospitals after lightning strike at South Carolina lake
LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — A dozen people were taken to hospitals Tuesday after a lightning strike at a South Carolina lake, officials said. Emergency crews responded to Dominion Beach Park near the Lake Murray Dam and assessed 20 patients, including 12 children, Lexington County officials said in a news release. They treated 18 people on the scene and 12 of them went to hospitals, according to county spokesperson Vanessa Diaz. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening and all of the patients were expected to recover, officials said. Dominion Beach Park was expected to reopen Wednesday following safety assessments and clearance from authorities. The weather was sunny with some clouds nearby, but not overhead when the strike happened, the Irmo Fire District said in a social media post. Lightning hit the water as several people were holding on to or swimming near a metal cable and buoys that surround the swimming area, the agency said. 'Everybody got quite a jolt,' the fire agency said. 'We're so fortunate that injuries were not worse than they were.' Injuries included minor burns, Irmo Fire District spokesperson Sloane Valentino said by telephone. Those who were holding on to the cable had the worst injuries, he said. Meteorologist Matt Gropp with the National Weather Service in Columbia called it 'a bolt from the blue,' noting that people at the lake may not have been aware of a pop-up thunderstorm a few miles to the south. It didn't even rain at the lake, Gropp said. 'It was one of the first strikes of the storm and the people there weren't expecting it,' he said.
