Thunderstorms, flooding crash Philadelphia heat wave after hottest day of year
An extreme heat warning is in effect through Tuesday night.
After temperatures soared to an official high of 98 in Philadelphia, thunderstorm downpours targeted parts of the region late Tuesday, setting off flood warnings and advisories.
A flood warning was in effect Tuesday night for the immediate Philadelphia area and parts of adjacent South Jersey, and the National Weather Service said up to 2 inches of rain could cause small streams to slosh over. A flood advisory was posted for central Bucks County.
More than 40,000 PECO customers have lost power.
Tuesday's high temperature was tops for the season so far, but fell short of the record of 103, set in 1966.
Officially no heat-related deaths have been reported. But despite the respite wrought by the showers, this could end up being the longest heat wave in six years, and health experts say that it can take days of accumulated heat before fatalities are reported and verified.
Health experts are concerned about the effects of heat that is due to persist through the workweek, particularly in rowhouse neighborhoods where many of the homes do not have air-conditioning.
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At least as ominous as the daily highs are the forecast low temperatures, which aren't expected to go below the mid-70s in the city for the next few days; thus, those rowhouses would heat up in a hurry once the sun rises.
The steamy nights are at least as hazardous as the sultry days, said Shubhayu Saha, health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is "extremely difficult to say which are more important," he said.
Looking forward, the highs for the remainder of the week look like this: Tuesday 96, Wednesday (July Fourth) 92, and Thursday and Friday both 90.
That would make eight consecutive days of 90-plus temperatures, the longest stretch since the 12-day heat wave of 2012, when the temperature last reached 100.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely Friday, when the heat wave should break.
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And it might break spectacularly, said Dombek, as a refreshing air mass presses southward from Canada.
Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will be in the 80s with lower humidity levels.
"The weekend looks beautiful," he said. "It's just a really nice pattern shaping up."
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The Philadelphia Corp. for Aging heat hotline — 215-765-9040 — will be in operation from 8:30 a.m. until midnight Tuesday and from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. on the Fourth of July.