NYC bakes as Central Park hits 100 degrees for first time in over a decade amid blistering heatwave
Temperatures in New York City’s Central Park hit 100 degrees for the first time in over a decade as a dangerous heatwave is expected to grip the region through the July 4 holiday.
Readings at the park reached a blistering 100 degrees on Thursday afternoon – marking the first time the iconic park has hit triple digits since July 18, 2012, which tied for the hottest day in the city since 1966, according to the National Weather Service and AccuWeather meteorologists.
Temperatures at the Manhattan park around this time last year reached 99 degrees.
With punishing humidity and sweltering conditions expected to make it feel close to 110 degrees, the searing heat is forecasted to continue into Friday, potentially hitting 100 degrees at the park for two consecutive days – the first time since July 2011, the weather agency said.
Gotham baked through back-to-back triple-digit heat on July 22 and 23, 2011 – and also scorched through a two-day 100-degree swelter in July 2010.
The city’s iconic green lung has only endured three straight 100-degree days twice – in August 1948 and again in July 1993, meteorologists said.
The most intense heatwave in the city lasted 12 grueling days, from Aug. 24, 1953 to Sept. 4, 1953.
A dangerous heat dome over the East Coast and Midwest began pushing temperatures into the high 90s on Wednesday, with the worst of the heat expected Thursday and Friday.
The unrelenting swelter is expected to ease slightly on Saturday with a high of 95, but conditions could spark heavy afternoon thunderstorms, with a 55% chance of rain, threatening the July 4 weekend.
Sunday would be the last day of the heatwave with highs of 90 degrees, with storms forecasted to bring temperatures back down to normal by Monday.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch from noon Wednesday through 9 p.m. Friday in New York City, the Lower Hudson Valley, Long Island, northern New Jersey and western Connecticut.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has declared a heat emergency due to the weather and launched a cooling outreach program where LINK NYC kiosks will direct New Yorkers to the nearest cooling centers for relief.
“The single most important thing you can do in these temperatures is to stay indoors with air conditioning,” Mamdani said in a news conference.
“If you can avoid going outside during the hottest hours of the day, please do so.”