Heat Wave Responsible for Disruptions to Life and Infrastructure Damage

The heat wave that gripped much of the central and eastern U.S. this week has abated. However, the lessons learned from the extreme weather will be something that local officials take with them as the summer season reaches full throttle.

Heat Causes Infrastructure Damage

The record-breaking temperatures that spread over a large swath of the country this week exposed a number of worrisome infrastructure concerns and health vulnerabilities. The news is not good as the world grapples with the impacts of climate change.

The soaring temperatures led to strained power grids, delayed mass transit systems, broken bridges and roads, and more. The negative impacts on the nation's infrastructure are putting a spotlight on how global warming is wreaking havoc. While supercharged hurricanes and flooding events are often blamed on climate change, heat is the most prolific type of extreme weather event that can be traced back to the impacts of fossil fuel pollution.

The latest heat wave came as similar events around the world are becoming more common. The global average temperature has continued to climb in recent years, resulting in growing numbers of heat-related illnesses and fatalities.

How Hot Did it Get?

Tuesday was the hottest day in over a decade for much of the eastern half of the country. Hundreds of daily high records were broken as the mercury soared to levels about 20 degrees above the historical average for the end of June.

The extreme heat was first felt over the weekend in the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest. Roads buckled across the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa. By Monday, the heat had spread to the East Coast. Multiple roads reportedly cracked in New Jersey as the sun baked the asphalt.

Amtrak passengers had to be rescued after a train became stuck in a tunnel in Baltimore. The largest train service had to institute speed restrictions across several of its most popular routes as the heat warped the tracks and raised the threat of electrical outages. Amtrak was forced to cancel some trains completely because of the extreme conditions.

Subway riders in New York City reported stifling heat in the cars, amplified by the rising humidity levels. Some bridges were also deemed to be inoperable as the temperatures continued to climb.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), heat is the deadliest type of extreme weather in the U.S., topping natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. It can take weeks for the full impact of a heat wave to be known, as it takes time for officials to attribute the temperatures to some fatalities.

At least one death has already been blamed on the heat in St. Louis. A high school graduation ceremony in Paterson, New Jersey, had to be canceled midway through the event when 16 people had to be transported to the hospital with heat-related illnesses.

The nation's capital was also adversely affected by the heat wave. A much-anticipated K-Pop concert was forced to end early because of several reports of heat-related health issues. The iconic Washington Monument was closed through Wednesday because it was too hot for tourists to enter.

Diving Into the Records

As noted earlier, several new daily high records were smashed early in the week. Most of the eastern region experienced peak temperatures on Tuesday. The mercury hit the century mark in Augusta, Maine, becoming the hottest reading on record for all of June while also tying the record for the all-time high temperature.

Boston hit a high of 102 degrees, good enough for a new June record. The day is now distinguished as the third-hottest day on the record books for the metro area. The other two days happened in July and August.

It was also toasty in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love saw its first day in the triple digits since 2012 on Tuesday when it reached 101 degrees on Tuesday. The top reading was also the hottest day ever this early in the summer in the city. Other major urban areas in the Northeast that saw record high readings include Newark, New Jersey, at 103 degrees and Providence, Rhode Island, coming in at exactly 100 degrees.

Althoguh Central Park came just shy of cracking the 100-degree barrier, a reporting station at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens recorded a high of 102 degrees during the peak afternoon heating hours on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, LaGuardia Airport recorded a high of 101 degrees.

The temperatures cooled just slightly on Wednesday. Most of these same metro areas saw highs hover in the mid to upper 90s on this day before more relief finally arrived on Thursday.

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