Surreal pics show trucks sinking into NYC streets as monster heat wave seems to ‘melt' pavement
New York streets seem to be buckling under the intense heat smothering the city with dramatic photos showing a bus broken through a Long Island parking garage — and a firetruck sinking into a Manhattan street as record-setting tempts broil the Big Apple.
The first incident happened in North New Hyde Park Tuesday afternoon — where temps topped around 99 degrees Fahrenheit — as a bus turned onto the exposed top level of a parking garage, but then plunged through the roadway as the ground opened beneath it.
'With everything going on I thought Iran was here,' said garage attendant Ricky Cody, who heard a loud bang as the bus' rear end sank into the broken blacktop.
4 A large bus broke through the pavement at a parking garage in North New Hyde Park during the heat wave Tuesday
Peter Gerber
'We got calls going 'Oh my god, oh my god! What's going on?'' he said. 'You don't really know. You hear a loud bang, and you don't expect something like that to happen when the whole day cars are coming in no problem.'
The bus was left lodged in the parking lot with its front end jutting up into the air, dramatic photos show, but no passengers were on board during the accident and the driver was able to exit safely.
Then in downtown Manhattan Wednesday — where temps peaked around 96 degrees Fahrenheit — a firetruck became stuck in the ground after the asphalt appeared to turn to quicksand around one of its wheels.
The mired engine was cordoned off as bemused — and sweating — passersby looked on, before eventually being towed out.
4 The bus was left with its rear end lodged in the ground and its nose standing on end. Nobody was hurt in the incident
Peter Gerber
But it's a sight that's not unheard of in summer months, according to Jim McGowan, whose nearly 100-year old company John McGowan & Sons paved the parking lots at the Mets' Citi Field.
'On a hot day things can become so soft and malleable where a vehicle can sink into the asphalt. It can happen,' McGowan told The Post, explaining that blacktop can reach up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit under the sun on a particularly hot day.
'It's just because of the direct sunlight and the heat of the day,' he said, adding that it's likely there were already faults or cavities beneath the roadways where the vehicles broke through — and that the weight of a vehicle on top of the softened pavement became too much.
'It could have been a void under the asphalt that was there, and with the heat the asphalt became soft and malleable, and it just sank right through that section, and it took the hot temperature and the sun,' McGowan said.
4 A firetruck was left stuck in the ground in Manhattan on Wednesday. The city said it was caused by a sink hole
Peter Gerber
4 Experts say intense heat can weaken the pavement overtop faults like sink holes, sometimes leaving cars stuck
Peter Gerber
Incidents of pavement failing under heat are fairly rare, McGowan said, but that this week alone he's read about several incidents across the country where similar things have happened.
From the Dakotas to Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri, roadways have been splitting, buckling and breaking as an intense heat dome bakes the country, images from KYFR TV show.
The East Coast has been hit particularly hard by the heat, with temps persisting in the high 90s but cracking the 100 degree mark in places like New Jersey and JFK International Airport.
New York City's Department of Transportation confirmed the firetruck incident was the result of a sinkhole.
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New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Surreal pics show trucks sinking into NYC streets as monster heat wave seems to ‘melt' pavement
New York streets seem to be buckling under the intense heat smothering the city with dramatic photos showing a bus broken through a Long Island parking garage — and a firetruck sinking into a Manhattan street as record-setting tempts broil the Big Apple. The first incident happened in North New Hyde Park Tuesday afternoon — where temps topped around 99 degrees Fahrenheit — as a bus turned onto the exposed top level of a parking garage, but then plunged through the roadway as the ground opened beneath it. 'With everything going on I thought Iran was here,' said garage attendant Ricky Cody, who heard a loud bang as the bus' rear end sank into the broken blacktop. 4 A large bus broke through the pavement at a parking garage in North New Hyde Park during the heat wave Tuesday Peter Gerber 'We got calls going 'Oh my god, oh my god! What's going on?'' he said. 'You don't really know. You hear a loud bang, and you don't expect something like that to happen when the whole day cars are coming in no problem.' The bus was left lodged in the parking lot with its front end jutting up into the air, dramatic photos show, but no passengers were on board during the accident and the driver was able to exit safely. Then in downtown Manhattan Wednesday — where temps peaked around 96 degrees Fahrenheit — a firetruck became stuck in the ground after the asphalt appeared to turn to quicksand around one of its wheels. The mired engine was cordoned off as bemused — and sweating — passersby looked on, before eventually being towed out. 4 The bus was left with its rear end lodged in the ground and its nose standing on end. Nobody was hurt in the incident Peter Gerber But it's a sight that's not unheard of in summer months, according to Jim McGowan, whose nearly 100-year old company John McGowan & Sons paved the parking lots at the Mets' Citi Field. 'On a hot day things can become so soft and malleable where a vehicle can sink into the asphalt. It can happen,' McGowan told The Post, explaining that blacktop can reach up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit under the sun on a particularly hot day. 'It's just because of the direct sunlight and the heat of the day,' he said, adding that it's likely there were already faults or cavities beneath the roadways where the vehicles broke through — and that the weight of a vehicle on top of the softened pavement became too much. 'It could have been a void under the asphalt that was there, and with the heat the asphalt became soft and malleable, and it just sank right through that section, and it took the hot temperature and the sun,' McGowan said. 4 A firetruck was left stuck in the ground in Manhattan on Wednesday. The city said it was caused by a sink hole Peter Gerber 4 Experts say intense heat can weaken the pavement overtop faults like sink holes, sometimes leaving cars stuck Peter Gerber Incidents of pavement failing under heat are fairly rare, McGowan said, but that this week alone he's read about several incidents across the country where similar things have happened. From the Dakotas to Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri, roadways have been splitting, buckling and breaking as an intense heat dome bakes the country, images from KYFR TV show. The East Coast has been hit particularly hard by the heat, with temps persisting in the high 90s but cracking the 100 degree mark in places like New Jersey and JFK International Airport. New York City's Department of Transportation confirmed the firetruck incident was the result of a sinkhole.
10 hours ago
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. '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. 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. 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. ___
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
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 .
