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The dog days of summer came a couple of months early this year, as Queens residents endured four days of record-breaking temperatures and high humidity.
The mercury passed 90 degrees shortly after noon on Saturday, June 7 and stayed roughly 20 degrees above normal, even at night. For much of the time, the muggy conditions felt like 100 degrees or more, according to weather services.
The unusual late spring heat wave was blamed on “the Bermuda high” a semi-permanent air mass which shifts to the east or west over the mid-Atlantic. By moving closer to the U.S. coastline, the clockwise flow of air around the high-pressure formation sent tropical heat up the eastern coast.
The city opened numerous “cooling centers” earlier than usual, in response to the health-threatening tropical blast.
Thousands trekked to Rockaway beaches seeking relief, but hundreds found that some areas were closed to swimming, because the city’s corps of lifeguards isn’t yet up to full strength.
An official statement from the Department of Parks and Recreation said, “City beaches fully open at the end of June when high schools let out, therefore it is typical for there to be closed sections at Rockaway as well as all the other beaches this time of year.” They also noted that public pools open at the end of June.
While the beaches were open to the public for sunbathing and cool seaside breezes, “As a safety measure, swimming is prohibited in sections of the beach where a lifeguard is not on duty,” the statement read.
Although Con Edison had to reduce voltage to sections of the east side of Manhattan, Queens was spared, according to spokesperson Chris Olert. “We had a few scattered outages, with about 130 customers in [Cambria Heights] being the majority,” he said on Tuesday, June 10. “We got the report just before 7 a.m. and were responding within minutes,” he added.
After days of warnings for excessively high temperatures (with the heat index feeling like 105 degrees) and dangerous air quality (high levels of ozone), the National Weather Service was heralding the end of the heat wave as The Queens Courier went to press.
The forecast for the days to come call for daytime temperatures in the mid 80’s and no threat of storms until Saturday, June 14.
Until the end of June, however, some areas of city beaches will still be closed to swimming.
According to Parks Department Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh, “We always try to open beaches [for swimming] where we know there will be crowds.” He explained that for the Rockaways, this meant beaches nearest public transportation, parking lots, spray showers, refreshment stands and other amenities.
“There were 2.5 miles of beach open in Rockaway [the weekend of June 7-8]” he said. “With the dynamic surf conditions there, it just isn’t safe to allow people in the water if there aren’t enough lifeguards.”
“We had a record number of lifeguards at our beaches and pools last summer, and were looking forward to topping it this year,” he continued.
