Long Island back in the 90s, but history says it's been hotter

It was hot, but not that hot.

As Long Islanders baked Thursday under what forecasters called a "heat dome," they could take cold comfort in knowing it had been hotter on a Second of July.

The Island's record high for the date was 99 degrees in 1966, according to the National Weather Service.

On Thursday, the high in Islip reached 96, but felt like 108 due to the high humidity, weather service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey told Newsday.

No relief Friday

Friday is expected to bring even more heat, but again, according to the forecast, it could be worse.

"The record is 5 degrees hotter," Ramsey said of July 3, 1966, when Long Islanders endured 104-degree heat, "and that's going to be harder to get to, given that we're forecasting 99, 98 for Islip."

Factoring in the humidity, Friday highs will feel like between 106 and 111 degrees across the Island, according to Ramsey.

Merrick resident David Perrotto was among the hundreds who made their way to Jones Beach State Park to cool off. The extended forecast had him considering a return trip.

"If it's gonna be that bad, like they’re saying," Perrotto said, "then I'll probably be coming back to the beach over the weekend if it's not going to be raining."

The weather service forecast a 60% chance of rain both Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Power appeal

Gov. Kathy Hochul called on New Yorkers "to do their part to proactively conserve electricity if safe to do so by setting air conditioning units between 75-78 degrees and avoiding unnecessary appliance use. These small steps can go a long way."

As of about 8 p.m. on Thursday, PSEG Long Island crews were working to repair 53 power outages affecting more 719 customers. In a statement posted on its website, PSEG said the extreme heat and high electricity demand "can sometimes lead to scattered, heat-related outages."

"PSEG Long Island will have additional personnel on hand, and our crews will be working around the clock, often in tough, high-heat conditions, to restore service for our customers and our community as safely and quickly as possible," the utility said.

It's not the heat ...

As is often the case for a summer weekend on Long Island, it will be the humidity, if not more than the heat, that will put the most vulnerable Long Islanders at risk.

"You are going to feel the hot air temperature, but the humidity is much more oppressive," said weather service meteorologist David Stark. "Your body cannot cool down as quickly the more humid it is."

The weather service extended an extreme heat warning through Saturday because heat indexes could make temperatures feel between 100 and 106.

"Since we're still seeing that triple-digit heat index, and it is Fourth of July and there will be a lot of people outdoors, it's good to have that warning out now," Ramsey said.

Central Park in Manhattan hit 100 Thursday, tied with 1901 and 1966 for the hottest-ever July 2, according to the weather service. At Kennedy Airport, the high also topped out Thursday at 100, one degree shy of a record set in 1966.

Jones Beach State Park saw roughly 61,000 visitors on Thursday, according to George Gorman, Long Island regional director at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He estimated 150,000 Long Islanders visited all state parks' beaches Thursday, which include Robert Moses in Babylon and Hither Hills in Montauk.

Swimming with sharks?

At Point Lookout Beach, would-be bathers waited for lifeguards to give the all-clear signal after shark sightings temporarily forced people from the ocean. Some, like Miles Miesse, lucked out and arrived after lifeguards permitted swimmers to once again let the ocean cool them down. Despite the earlier shark sighting, Miesse, who arrived from Ohio to spend the holiday weekend with friends, said he entered the water without fear.

"I was not creeped out at all," Miesse, 21, said when asked his opinion about potentially swimming with sharks. "I grew up going to the ocean. It's their habitat, so I'm like, ‘If I'm gonna go in it, it's the risk I’m taking with it.’ ”

Meanwhile, cooling centers opened in Nassau and Suffolk counties were scarcely used, if at all, Thursday. Representatives of several centers told Newsday they were empty. While homeless people occasionally entered to use the restroom or accept a water bottle, they soon moved on, Christine Geed, spokesperson for the Town of Huntington, told Newsday.

"Even in the worst conditions, no one ever uses our warming or cooling centers, ever," Geed said. "And it’s not for the lack of government services, public facilities, libraries."