Fourth may bring record heat, NWS says

Long Islanders manning backyard grills Saturday afternoon might feel as roasted as their hamburgers and hot dogs, as the high temperature could tie with — or even surpass — Long Island’s hottest Independence Day on record, forecasters told Newsday late Friday.

The high is forecast to soar to 97 in Islip on Saturday, but just like every other day since the weather service issued an extreme heat warning on Wednesday, it will feel much worse — around 105 — due to the humidity, National Weather service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey told Newsday.

The hottest Independence Days on record — when temps hit 97 degrees in Islip — were measured in 1966 and 2010. The weather service’s climatological records for Islip date back to 1963.

“Right now we’re forecasting that record to tie, so there is a chance that that record could break,” Ramsey said. “We’re forecasting 97 or 98 degrees.”