LI under heat advisory after temps hit 102
Mike Misa, of Mt. Sinai, cools off with a bottle of water while playing soccer at North Shore Heritage Park, Tuesday. (July 6, 2010) Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Go on, say it, sing it, grin and bear it: We're havin' a heat wave.
Temperatures have hit triple digits on Long Island, so we can officially call our string of steamy days a heat wave.
Not that most of us want to.
Temperatures were up to 101 degrees in Farmingdale, with Shirley and Islip close behind at 100 degrees, making this the third hottest day in Islip, according to the National Weather Service.
The thermometer at North Babylon High School, which is not an official weather station, hit 102 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.
The Weather Service has issued a warning of the potential for dangerous rip currents along ocean beaches from the Rockaways out to Suffolk County. They're advising swimmers to enter the water only in areas patrolled by lifeguards.
The record high for any July 6 in the metropolitan area was 101 degrees, recorded in Central Park in 1999.
The heat index, which uses temperature and humidity to give us a perceived "feel" temperature, topped 100. Which means it's hot.
The LIPA website advised customers on a host of power-saving techniques for a heat wave, among them:
- Eliminate nonessential electric consumption
- Put air conditioners on timers when home
- Set air conditioners to 78 degrees
- Use fans to circulate cool air
- Set refrigerators/freezers at most efficient temperatures
- Run major appliances such as clothes and dishwashers in the morning or late evening to avoid the peak demand hours of 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The record high for Central Park is 106 degrees, set on July 9, 1936. The longest heat wave - days of at least 90 degrees in a row - was Aug. 24-Sept. 4, 1953.
That was a streak of 91, 91, 91, 94, 98, 99, 98, 100, 97, 102, 94 and 90 degrees, according to the weather service.
There have been 20 heat-wave streaks of seven days or more recorded by the weather service in New York. Two of them were in 2002, when there was a streak of 8 days from July 29-Aug. 5 and a 9-day streak from Aug. 11-19.
Just once in one of those streaks, according to the records, was there at least a 3-day span of 100-plus-degree days - that from July 8-10, 1993, during a 10-day heat wave. Then it hit 100, 101 and 102 degrees on successive days.
How long will this heat wave last? The weather service is predicting the end could be as soon as Wednesday, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees and a slight chance of showers Wednesday night.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the mid- to upper 80s the remainder of the week. There's a possibility of thunderstorms Thursday and a good chance of rain over the weekend.
