BOSTON —
Record-breaking heat scorched the Northeast for the second straight day Thursday, breaking records from Vermont to Delaware and sending people flocking to beaches, pools and air-conditioned museums to stay cool.
At least eight temperature records nationwide were broken, and three others were tied, the National Weather Service said. In Vermont, temperatures soared to 97 degrees in Burlington, and the air in Georgetown, Del., and at Kennedy Airport in New York registered a record-breaking 97 degrees.
In New York, Times Square food vendor Bashir Saleh was feeling the heat.
“I’m exhausted,” said Saleh, who had already worked eight hours as the heat rose near his propane-gas fueled coffee maker. But the heat is worth it, he said, noting he makes more money selling iced coffee and other cold drinks on hot days.
Sporting a visor with an American flag, Saleh, who fled war in his native Afghanistan, said that even when he’s sweating to earn a living, “I think, ‘God bless America. For a few days, I can sacrifice.”’
But relief is on the way, according to Dave Unger, a forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said the East Coast will get a break from a low pressure system and possible coastal storms that are expected to lower temperatures heading into the weekend.
In the nation’s capital, a bit of resourcefulness helped some tourists hit all the hotspots despite the sweltering weather.
Nolan Shoffner, 36, who was vacationing with his parents and 10-year-old son, Parker, said the family had rearranged some of their plans to visit outdoor sites like the White House and Capitol in the morning, while saving cool indoor museums for the afternoon.
“There’s not a lot of places you can hide,” Shoffner said as he stood outside the Capitol.
Business at Lil Pop Shop, an artisan Popsicle store in Philadelphia, was slow at midday despite a healthy supply of frozen treats.
Owner Jeanne Chang said she expects the crowd to come after the sun goes down, as a swarm of customers did Wednesday night after a similarly brutal day.
As temperatures at Boston’s Logan Airport hit a record-breaking 96 degrees, many took the heat in stride. At the Franklin Park Zoo, gorillas sucked on ice treats and ostriches waded through spray mists.
Outside the city, many flocked to beaches to enjoy the rare stretch of extreme heat.
Dave Remillard, 50, went to Wollaston Beach in Quincy, just south of Boston, but chose sunbathing over swimming, he said, because the water was too cold.
“I hope we have a hot summer. We haven’t had one in a while,” he said, sipping a large cup of iced coffee.
In New Jersey, forecasters said thermometers might not drop below 80 until the wee hours of Friday.
“American Idol” hopefuls in Newark got a bit of a break from the heat Thursday morning when they were ushered inside the Prudential Center to register to audition.
Officials at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut prepared for the heat by having IVs ready at a medical tent where dozens were treated for heat exhaustion Wednesday.
“People are coming in dizzy, a little nausea, vomiting, generally poor feeling overall,” said John Quinlavin emergency medical services director. “We generally have a more mature audience here, and we do see a lot of the elderly having some problems with the heat.”
Across the Northeast, public health officials warned residents to not leave pets or children in parked vehicles, where temperatures can quickly escalate. Two dogs left in a hot pickup truck in western Massachusetts died Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, 66 weather stations across the nation broke or tied records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
National, International News
Related Photos
-
As temperatures rise into the 90's, eight-year-old Mikenzi Allen, right, leads Kadi Larish, 3, around in a raft as the two cool off from the heat and spend time in their backyard pool in Hazle Township near Hazleton, Pa., on Thursday. The Associated Press
Discussion
Northeast bakes under wilting heat for a 2nd day
- National, International News
-
-
G8 exposes rift among leaders on Syria
Deep differences over Syria’s fierce civil war clouded a summit of world leaders Monday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s regime.
-
Unions give lift to Turkish protest movement
Turkish labor groups fanned a wave of defiance against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authority, leading rallies and a one-day strike to support activists whose two-week standoff with the government has shaken the country’s secular democracy.
-
For young immigrants, a delayed coming of age
As a child, Jorge Tume used to sit and do homework as his parents cleaned the desks and floors of a concrete company in Miami. When he was done, he’d take out the trash and help finish cleaning.
-
Investigators ‘zeroing in’ on Colo. wildfire start
Sheriff’s officials say they have now recorded more than 500 homes leveled by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.
-
Still no Hoffa after 1st day of latest search
Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, digging around in a suburban Detroit field where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried.
-
Today in History for Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Today is Tuesday, June 18, the 169th day of 2013. There are 196 days left in the year.
-
Series of attacks kill 51 people across Iraq
A blistering string of apparently coordinated bombings and a shooting across Iraq killed at least 51 and wounded dozens Sunday, spreading fear throughout the county in a wave of violence that is raising the prospect of a return to widespread sectarian killing a decade after a U.S.-led invasion.
-
Turkey unrest goes on despite end to park protest
Riot police cordoned off streets, set up roadblocks and fired tear gas and water cannon to prevent anti-government protesters from converging on Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Sunday, unbowed even as Turkey’s prime minister addressed hundreds of thousands of supporters a few kilometers away.
-
Iraq no-fly zone viewed as symbol for one in Syria
The Obama administration, trying to avoid getting drawn deeper into Syria’s civil war, has pointed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 as a symbol of what can go wrong when America’s military wades into Middle East conflicts.
-
Steady rain falls as crews work against Colo. fire
With evacuees anxious to return, firefighters worked Sunday to dig up and extinguish hot spots to protect homes spared by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.
- More National, International News Headlines
-
