New York City has been hit by a blistering post-Labor Day heat wave, with temperatures soaring into the mid-1990s as residents return to work after the holiday weekend that closes out summer.
A temperature of 93 degrees was predicted in Central Park on Wednesday, with the humidity making it feel even warmer.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory as it became clear that temperatures would also top 91 degrees on Thursday.
The three-day period of incredible heat that began on Tuesday is the city’s first official heat wave of 2023, according to experts. They say it is unusual for such heat to arrive so late in the season.
The heat wave has resulted in an urban summer that has been cooler than usual for most of the season Bloomberg.
Some New Yorkers are embracing the heat wave late in the season. Here, a man committed to his tan sunbathes with a reflector in Washington Square Park
Sunbathers in Manhattan’s Hudson River Park enjoy the last of the unobstructed sun before office work resumes and fall rolls around the corner
The 90+ degree heat coupled with the humidity has made trekking through midtown Manhattan an especially unpleasant prospect
At no point during the month of August did New York reach 90 degrees or higher. Before that, there were only eight days when temperatures reached 90 degrees.
Since 1869, the month of September has averaged at least one day of 90 degrees or more, according to National Weather Service records.
Most of the intense heat in the US this year was centered in the Central and Southwest, where temperature records continued to be broken.
The East Coast of the US is currently experiencing the late summer heat wave, from New England to Northern Virginia.
Scorching heat is expected in Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia in the coming days, while temperatures in Washington DC are expected to hit 100 degrees on Wednesday.
While some New Yorkers sweat it out on their morning commute and count the steps until they reach their air-conditioned office, others embrace the last moments of unfettered sunshine before fall arrives.
Students returning to classes will in some cases return to cramped classrooms. Several school districts announced early dismissal times for students this week because of the heat.
The heat wave began in New York on Tuesday, just as everyone was due to return to the office after Labor Day, often referred to as the official end of summer
Small electric fans are ubiquitous in New York this summer as residents battle the humidity on a daily basis
Beach residents of Coney Island take advantage of the less crowded beach than usual
Also on Coney Island, a worker delivers bags and bags of ice to a grocery store during the heat wave
New Yorkers mop their eyebrows as they commute between the air conditioning at home and the air conditioning at the office
The heat is also settling down in the Arthur Ashe stadium in Queens, where the US Open is played.
On Tuesday, event organizers called for the roof of the stadium to be partially closed to provide some additional shade for spectators.
Novak Djokovic said the extremely humid conditions made it “very difficult to play” on Tuesday.
“That’s why we train and try to let ourselves perform in the best possible conditions. Not easy, but you have to fight,” he added.
Commuters take a rest in subways while temporarily resting from the intense heat that plagues most subway stations
Some New Yorkers sit on benches at a screening of the US Open in the Hudson Yards, played in the intense heat in Queens
People cool off by the water at Coney Island on September 6, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City
A dog owner finds a way to cool her fuzzy pet while out for a walk in Williamsburg
Summer’s last spots include ice cream peddlers roaming the beach selling their wares to the burning beach residents
Con Edison said his crews have been preparing for potential power outages and the company has asked New Yorkers to limit the use of major appliances.
As the heat is expected to be extremely intense through Thursday, district cooling centers are open to those without any degree of access to air conditioning.