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Gov. Kathy Hochul extends New York weather state of emergency through July. Here's why
Gov. Kathy Hochul's state of emergency for 32 counties following New York's first major heatwave and a string of thunderstorms will be extended until July 22.
Hochul issued the state of emergency Sunday as government officials across the state anticipated power outages and safety concerns due to both excessive heat making temperatures feel over 100 degrees or more Monday and Tuesday and weekend thunderstorms and winds that could affect northern regions of the state.
Heat index values from 95 to 107 degrees made temperatures feel hotter across the Hudson Valley, with peak temperatures anticipated on Tuesday, June 24. Wednesday, June 25, will also see extreme heat with indexes near 96 and 97, but a chance of rain in the afternoon will alleviate some heat.
"I urge all New Yorkers to stay weather aware and take precautions to stay vigilant and safe as extreme heat and severe weather are expected to continue impacting the state over the next couple of days," Hochul said in a news release.
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A spokesperson for Hochul's office said the state of emergency is in place until Tuesday, July 22, in order to give time for emergency services to respond to potential damage from thunderstorms and possible additional heat emergencies in early July.
Westchester, Putnam and Rockland are included in the state of emergency, along with counties such as Albany, Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Saratoga, Suffolk and Ulster.
The State Emergency Operations Center said residents should remain alert, avoid flooded roadways, limit outdoor activities during peak heat and sign up for local emergency alerts by texting their county or borough name to .
Contributing: Michael Mckinney of Lohud and Victoria E. Freile of USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY weather state of emergency extended to July 22. Here's why
