NEW YORK, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - The eastern United States wilted Tuesday at the start of a heat wave due to last all week, putting power companies under severe pressure and driving city residents into municipal "cooling centers" -- or fountains. Scorching temperatures topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit were expected throughout the east, rising to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in New York and Washington. Canada's Quebec region, particularly around Montreal, also got blasted, although city hospitals said there had been no immediate spike in heat-related illnesses. Electricity usage was expected to surge throughout the densely populated US northeast as office buildings reopened after the long July 4th Independence Day weekend.
Con Ed, a major utility company in the New York area, urged energy conservation during what was expected to be record demand for power as customers switched air conditioners into overdrive and raided freezers and fridges for refreshments. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory warning residents from Boston down to Washington that the elevated temperatures and high humidity could prove dangerous, particularly for young children and the elderly. "Excessive heat" advisories also were posted in New York City and Philadelphia, where authorities opened "cooling stations" -- air-conditioned buildings where residents can get out of the swelter. The NWS warned residents to "drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors."
New York's health and emergency management departments warned that children younger than five and people older than 64 were at increased risk of sickness from high temperatures. The city government issued heat tips including keeping "strenuous activity" to between 4:00 and 7:00 am. "Cooling centers" were set up in schools and other neighborhood facilities. Alternative suggestions were to spend the day in the "mall, museum or movie theater." For millions of children on summer vacation, city fountains and fire hydrants provided instant relief. In a bid to prevent the illegal opening of hydrants, New York fire houses were issuing spray caps designed to keep the gush to a manageable level. Meteorologists said parts of the Mid Atlantic region, which already has had several bouts of uncomfortably hot weather this year, have experienced the warmest spring on record. And forecasters said the heat wave was likely to spread down the east coast. "Southern locations will feel the inferno later in the week," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist with Pennsylvania-based Accu-Weather forecasters. In August 2003 the entire US northeast and part of Canada were plunged into darkness when the power grid collapsed in one of the biggest outages in history.
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