NYC braces for ‘excessive heat warning,’ as heat index on track to reach 108 degrees

Hot town, summer in the city!

The National Weather Service declared an “excessive heat warning” issued for New York City over the next two days, as the heat index is on track to rise to a high of 108 degrees. 

“Heat kills more New Yorkers every year than any other kind of extreme weather event, and access to cooling is a matter of life and death,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday at the Office of Emergency Management headquarters in Brooklyn. 

It’s also the first time an excessive heat warning — meaning the temperature feels like 105 degrees or hotter outside — has been issued for the five boroughs since August 2021.

The heatwave is expected to last from today, Thursday, July 27 through Saturday, July 29.

“The heat index will be 105 today and 105 to 108 tomorrow. The index will be slightly less on Saturday, but will meet heat advisory conditions,” Adams said.

City records show an estimated 350 Gotham residents die annually tied to the brutal effects of hot weather on the body, accounting for 2% of all deaths between May and September. 

The high temperatures are just the latest in a slew of concerning weather events to hit the northeast, following poor air quality reports borne of Canada’s wildfire smoke and even heavy flooding from a thunderstorm that touched down in Brooklyn earlier this week.

The city opened over 500 cooling centers across the five boroughs and is extending city-run pool hours an hour extra – until 8 pm – until Saturday. 

Adams also said Petco would also allow pet owners to bring their animals to certain locations with air conditioning. 

“Remember to give your pets plenty of water to drink. We don’t want any animal companion to suffer either,” he said.