The worst heat wave New York City has seen this year is due to scorch the region this week, coming on the heels of wild thunderstorms that killed a man in Connecticut.
The New York City heat wave is set to kick off on Friday, with temperatures due to exceed 94 degrees — though humidity will cause the air to feel even hotter, potentially above 100 degrees, NBC reported. The dangerous heat wave will continue into the weekend, with temps expected to skyrocket to 108 on Saturday and Sunday.
The oppresive heat follows a night of raucous storms that reportedly caused 500 lightning strikes in just 15 minutes and washed out NYC’s iconic Diner En Blanc event, sending attendees running from the downpour. Outside the city, in Connecticut, a 21-year-old man was killed when lightning struck a tree and caused its branch to fall, crushing his vehicle.
Thursday will likely see some more mild storms that will bring wind and rain to the region, though forecasters predict they won’t be as bad as Wednesday’s storms.
The sweltering heat could cause more NYC blackouts, ConEd has warned. The potential blackouts would follow a massive blackout that impacted much of Manhattan on Saturday. In that incident, 72,000 NYC customers lost electricity for several hours.
Scattered storms throughout the NYC Tri-State area will accompany cooler temperatures on Monday, bringing an end to what’s predicted to be the year’s worst heat wave so far.
