The US’s June heatwave is a dangerous start to summer and about to get hotter | US weather

A rare heat wave of June brings a suffocating and dangerous start, in much of the east of the United States this week, with forecasts for temperatures to become even warmer on Tuesday.

On Monday, just on the second day of summer, the National Weather Service placed extreme heat warnings in force of the Carolines in Maine, advising against any outdoor activity in the conditions.

Very high humidity levels also improve the heat wave and reduce the ability to cool temperatures at night. The NWS has classified the four heat wave on its heat risk scale at four levels to take into account the severity of hot night temperatures on public health.

The mayors of Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston have all declared thermal emergencies, offering free transport to libraries and other cooling centers in order to reduce the incidence of diseases and heat -related injuries.

Until early Monday afternoon, temperatures had already reached 100F (37C) in some parts of northern Virginia to the north to Upstate New York. The addition of the suffocating effect of high humidity felt 110F in Baltimore, 109F in Philadelphia and 108F in Swanton, Vermont, a few kilometers south of the Canadian border.

Temperatures like these are rare at any time of the year, not to mention the first days of summer. In New York, there have been no waves of heat like this in June for at least 30 years, and maybe ever. In the Soho district of Manhattan, an unofficial weather station measured an air temperature of 100F with a dew point temperature of 82F at 3 p.m. Monday, which gives the impression of becoming 126F.

The dew point is a measure of the total quantity of water vapor in the atmosphere – higher dew point temperatures make air wet. Since the National Weather Service does not keep the time readings of Dew Point, it is difficult to assess whether it has ever felt hotter than that of New York in June.

The official temperature of 96F on Monday to Central Park equaled a daily record dating from 1888. Monday morning was also the first date in New York history in which the temperature did not drop below 80F.

Tuesday forecasts are that the temperature is climbing even more. The highest record in June 101F from New York from New York, established in 1934 and 1966, could fall. The insulating effect of high humidity means that night temperatures will probably not fall below 80F, which questions the hottest night in June in the history of the city of 81F on June 26, 1952.

The coast is urban is one of the fastest places in the United States during the summer months. According to Central Climate, the global warming climate has made high temperatures in New York in the current heat wave about twice as likely and warmer temperatures about four times more likely.

The heat epidemic of several days started last week in the Midwest, where several new low -temperature temperature records of all time were established, including in cities like Green Bay, Wisconsin and Lansing, Michigan. During the weekend, it was warmer in certain parts of western Kansas – 107F – than in Death Valley. In separate incidents during professional baseball matches in Chicago and St Louis on Sunday, players and referees fell ill, which makes dramatic scenes highlighting the danger of the weather for very highly conditioned athletes.

The genesis of the heat wave comes from an exceptionally high humidity drawn north of the Record waters of the Gulf of Mexico by a high record of high pressure. As the air heats up, it can also contain more water vapor – which increases the intensity of rainy rains, but also increases the danger of heat waves. In the past 100 years of records, the average dew point temperature across the United States has increased with average temperature.

For the most vulnerable people on the coast is urban, the combination of high humidity and temperatures like these can be fatal.

Access to air conditioning is far from universal in the northeast, in particular in historically cool states such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. In the northern New England regions – which will reach several days of temperatures in the 90s this week – more than one in five households does not have a way to cool their homes.

In a concern added for the hottest section of this year of the year, vulnerable households that have air conditioning will have to deal with higher costs to make them work. In April, the “Department of Effectiveness of the Government” of the Trump Administration (DOGE) instituted mass layoff in the low -income energy assistance program (LIHEAP) – a relatively small government program within the Ministry of Health and Social Services which distributes financial aid to around 6 million households nationwide.