NEW YORK — The heat is here to stay in New York City.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a heat advisory warning for noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday as historically hot weather scorches the five boroughs and beyond.
Wednesday’s forecast includes a high of 95 degrees, but the NWS warns the heat index could feel like 100 during its peak. A similarly high heat index is expected Thursday.
“Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur,” the NWS says in its advisory.
Each of the five boroughs are included in the heat advisory, which the weather service issues whenever temperatures are expected to feel like 95 to 99 degrees for two days in a row, or between 100 and 104 degrees at any point.
“With maximum heat index values ranging from the mid 90s to around 100 on Wednesday and Thursday, it is important to practice heat safety!” NWS said Tuesday. “To reduce risk during outdoor work, stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade as often as possible.”
Tuesday kicked off a brutal stretch of scorching weather in the Big Apple that could account for one of the city’s longest streaks of consecutive 90-degree days. Eight consecutive days of 90-degree weather would crack the top 10 for longest stretches in New York.
The longest streak in the city’s history occurred in 1953, when New York recorded 12 consecutive days of 90-degree heat.
Every day through next Monday has a projected high temperature above 90 degrees, while the subsequent days are expected to hit the high 80s.
This weekend is poised to be especially hot, with highs of about 96 on Saturday and Sunday.
New York opened cooling centers throughout the five boroughs on Tuesday to help New Yorkers beat the heat.
“I can’t emphasize enough that, yes, it’s supposed to be hot during the summer, but it’s the consecutive 90-degree days that make it really hard for our body to handle,” Fox Weather meteorologist Amy Freeze told the New York Daily News.
“If you don’t have air conditioning, you don’t have a lot of time to cool off in the evening hours, because our temperatures don’t drop as dramatically in the summer.”
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