N&O

August 10, 2001 1:00PM EDT

Cold front may break record-setting heat wave

By JOSH HOFFNER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP) - High temperatures dominated across the Northeast again Friday, but the end was in sight for the heat wave that has contributed to more than 17 deaths.

A slow-moving cold front was headed eastward, expected to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms - and cooler temperatures - to the area by Friday night.

After a day of record heat Thursday, New York City and Newark, N.J., had 92 degree readings Friday morning. Boston was 91 and Philadelphia was 90. High humidity made it feel like it was over 100 in some areas.

On Thursday, Bev Hanover gladly obliged when New York's governor lifted admission fees at state parks that offer swimming to help provide relief from the roasting heat. She got to the park early with lunch and a book and didn't plan on leaving until it closed.

"I'm staying in the water until I shrivel," said Hanover, who was swimming at Buttermilk Falls State Park near Ithaca, where the temperature soared to 99 degrees. With the humidity, it felt like 119 degrees.

Hanover was like many others in the Northeast on Thursday who did anything they could to elude the sizzling temperatures that have overwhelmed the eastern half of the nation this week.

"It's just overwhelming," said Joe Bengardino, stopping to spray himself with water as he grappled with the unenviable task of pouring concrete in Brigantine, N.J. "It takes over everything. You get less production. You can't work as fast. It just really takes it out of you."

Temperature records were broken across the region Thursday. The thermometer climbed to 105 degrees in Newark, N.J., surpassing the previous August record of 103 set in 1946. In New York's Central Park, it was a record-breaking 103.

Hartford, Conn., and Philadelphia broke records at 101, while Raleigh, N.C., broiled at an all-time high of 100 degrees.

In Duluth, Minn., a town along Lake Superior that is known for its chilly temps, five people have died this week because of the heat. The victims all lived in apartments or rooms with poor ventilation. Temperatures were in the low 90s when they were found.

"It's terrible," county medical examiner Thomas Uncini said. "In my time, there's never been anything like this."

In Baltimore, where the mercury climbed to 101 on Thursday, the city's health commissioner said heat was a factor in the deaths of at least three people this week.

Since Tuesday, the heat has been blamed for five deaths of elderly Pennsylvanians, the Department of Public Health said. In Rowley, Mass., a 3-year-old girl collapsed and died Wednesday after her body temperature reached nearly 109 degrees as she played outside.

In Morganton, N.C., authorities were awaiting autopsy results to determine whether heat caused the death of a 19-year-old man who collapsed after playing basketball Wednesday.

New Jersey reported three deaths believed to be heat-related. A 33-year-old man was found unconscious in his apartment Wednesday, an 86-year-old woman died at a hospital Thursday, and a child died after an asthma attack Thursday.

State government offices in New York and New Jersey closed Thursday afternoon to save energy. Rutgers University campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden also shut down early.

About 400 commuters in Connecticut were stranded for more than an hour after the heat and aging overhead wires stalled a train. A locomotive was used to push the cars into the station.

Relief from the heat started making its way to areas in upstate New York on Thursday evening, but it came in the form of severe thunderstorms that left considerable damage.

With winds estimated at over 100 mph, about 13,000 customers lost power during the peak of the storm. Most had power returned by Friday.

Homeowners in western New York who have suffered from the heat and storms have another worry on their hands - bats. Officials say the heat has been so intense in attics that bats roosting in them have been forced to go elsewhere, invading people's homes.

"It's not uncommon for us to hear about a bat flying around in the house during the day anymore," said Brett McDonnell of Critter Control of western New York. "They just want to seek some relief from the extreme heat."

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2001

Answers

HA!!!!! not here...not yet!!!!! North East Ohio!!!

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2001

Twas on a conference call a couple hours ago in an outside office. 38th floor. Most of the lightening was BELOW me.

-- Anonymous, August 10, 2001

YES YES YES.... Woke up to 60 deg this morning. Boy did it feel good after the heat and humidity we have had. Had the windows open all night and it is wonderful ! ! !

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2001

Humph

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2001

What Beckie said, except it was 71 here. After heat indices of 105-110 yesterday, I like 71. Muggy, though. BTW, we have been hotter than New Orleans. That's NOT right.

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2001

We got ours on Thursday.

YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

It's absolutely gorgeous outside, but all I want to do is sleep.

With the windows open.

And a blanket.

And company.

:)

-- Anonymous, August 11, 2001

You poor guys, glad it's cooling off... Barefoot, be patient, it's headed your way :)

Lord I hope I don't have to relocate, I love the weather here, never too hot, never too cold... just an occasional earthquake or wildfire, which are kinda cool so long as your not caught in the middle of one...

-- Anonymous, August 12, 2001

My fingers are crossed for you, Carl. I've seen transplanted Califorians in the Midwest. It isn't a pretty sight. One good thing, though: there was this woman from Riverside who moved here with her hubby and small son. She kept swearing that she was going to get a divorce and move back. Then, last February, she found they had saved enough for a down payment, and they were able to buy their first home! This is the first house she has ever lived in that was owned, rather than rented, by a family member. Earlier this spring, I helped her put in her first flower garden. Even though it's been dry, everything is doing well (okay, so I insisted on the hard-to-kill annuals this first year), and that's decreased her whinning about missing CA significantly. Now, if she can learn to drive in snow. . .

-- Anonymous, August 12, 2001

We had some spectacular thunderstorms last night. There was minor street flooding here, worse in SW Raleigh and a few other places. Winds were not too bad, thank goodness, although there was a tornado warning at one point.

Today? Ach! 96 degrees and humidity like the inside of a dog's mouth. What the hell happened to that cool front???

-- Anonymous, August 12, 2001

OG, it'll be back soon. Our relief has been short-lived, as well, but I was able to get the grass cut and some weeding in. That's about the best I can expect for this time in August.

-- Anonymous, August 12, 2001