Event Summary

Temperatures rose into the mid and upper 90s across the region. Overnight low temperatures remained in the lower 80s on the third and fourth in highly urbanized areas throughout the New York City Metropolitan Area. Overall, temperatures averaged 10 to 15 degrees above normal. On July 4th, the temperature reached 98 degrees at LaGuardia Airport, which set a new record high temperature. High temperatures and humidities combined to produce heat indices from 100 to 105 degrees throughout the region. Many cooling centers were opened across the city. On July 4th, the New York Times reported, "Hospital emergency rooms reported some heat exhaustion cases and other heat-related ailments. Small power failures throughout the day left as many as 20,000 homes without electricity." Brownouts occurred throughout the New York City Metropolitan Area, which included New Rochelle, where over 3,300 city residents lost power. Other areas affected included Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville, where power outages developed around 1:30 pm on July 2nd.