Excessive Heat Warning

The National Weather Service warned last week that the four-day hot spell that began June 7 could be deadly - and the prediction proved all too true. As of yesterday, the deaths of 17 people in Philadelphia had been linked to the heat during those four days. While the number might appear high, city health officials said it was important to keep in mind that this was no simple heat wave - technically a period of three days or more of temperatures of 90 degrees and above. The city also was under an excessive heat warning during the four days, when a potentially lethal combination of factors were in play.

A forecast for above-90 temperatures and high humidity prompted the City of Philadelphia to issue an excessive heat warning for Monday and Tuesday and to institute home visits to the elderly and other precautions aimed at preventing illness and death. "We strongly urge the public to visit older friends, relatives, and neighbors to ensure that air-conditioners or fans are working, and homes are adequately ventilated. In a heat wave, the majority of the victims are older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Donald Schwarz said.

Summer's kickoff heat wave has brought warnings about air quality and near- record temperatures for the Philadelphia area. Thunderstorms, with strong gusts and hail, are also a possibility tonight and Thursday. Today has been declared an Ozone Action Day in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Tomorrow's going to be even hotter, with an excessive heat warning in effect through Thursday morning for the city and its surrounding counties on both sides of the Delaware River. Today's high in the city in the low 90s, on heels of yesterday's 90 and Sunday's 94, should qualify for an official heat wave.

For the second straight day, Philadelphia suffered under an "excessive heat warning" Tuesday. With temperatures soaring into the 90s, residents beat the heat any way they could or just went about their business and sweated it out. City public schools let out at 1:30 due to the heat and humidity, and after-school programs were canceled. Wednesday is expected to bring some relief, with highs in the mid-80s, and the weekend looks rainy, with a high of 76 on Saturday.

So you were really steamed yesterday? It was 93. But hey, last year on June 19, it got to 100. That was a record. For those who considered yesterday a walk through the outskirts of hell, be prepared to move a little closer today. A high of 95 is forecast, and summer won't even get here till tomorrow. But the mini-heat wave, which began Sunday with a high of 90, should peak today. Temperatures then will drop into the more comfortable 80s for the rest of the week, meteorologists say. There may also be a few thunderstorms.

Welcome to the more normal part of a July - hot and humid with possible thunderstorms. Several records were set in the last two days, with highs of 102 on Tuesday and 103 on Wednesday, and a low of 80 on Wednesday - the highest low ever for the date, but short of the record 82 for any date. By comparison, today's high of 90, at 2:45 p.m., seemed relatively benign. Renegade clouds from some showers at the Shore kept it a bit cooler than expected. Late in the day, the National Weather Service took down the excessive heat warning for Philadelphia and the adjacent counties.

The next two afternoons could be the most uncomfortable yet this year, as far as heat and humidity are concerned. An excessive heat warning will be in effect from 11 this morning to 8 tomorrow night, as highs reach the mid 90s and the heat index could hit or top 100, according to the National Weather Service. The warning applies to Philadelphia, its surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and New Castle County in Delaware. Southeastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey are also on alert for unhealthful levels of ozone.

The temperature stood at 97 at 2 p.m. at Philadelphia International Airport, the highest reading since the 98 on June 10, 2008, but it plummeted 26 degrees ? all the way to 71 ? as a result of the storm. As a result, the National Weather Service probably will take down its "excessive heat warning" at 5 p.m., said Tony Gigi, a lead forecaster in the Mount Holly office. Gigi said a gust of 75 m.p.h. was measured at the airport. The storm apparently brought an end to the latest heat wave, and it appears that the city got through without any heat-related fatalities, said Health Department spokesman Jeff Moran.

Good time to start a week at the Shore. Today could reach the mid 90s in the Philadelphia area, with the upper 90s expected Friday through Sunday. An excessive heat warning has been issued for those three days, blanketing the city and nine nearby counties: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks in Pennsylvania, Gloucester, Camden, western Burlington and Mercer in New Jersey, and New Castle County in Delaware, according to the National Weather Service. Today was excluded because the humidity won't be bad. The Shore won't escape entirely, hitting the 90s Friday and Saturday in Ocean City and Atlantic City, but those popular destinations should top out in the 80s today and Sunday.

With an expected high of near 100 degrees, the Philadelphia region stands a good chance of hitting a record high for the date. The record for June 21 is 99, and the forecast from the National Weather Service in Mount Holly is one degree above that. So there's a solid shot at tying or breaking the record that has stood since 1923. And, with heat index values approaching 104 with humidity factored in, the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning through 6 a.m. Friday.

It was already 89 degrees at 10 a.m. Saturday when block captain Alice Wright began knocking on doors in the 3900 block of Pennsgrove Street. The temperature in Philadelphia would eventually climb an additional 12 degrees, to 101. The retired day-care teacher was checking on the people she calls "my seniors," some of whom are the same age as the 70-year-old Wright. "Geneva!" Wright yelled, bending down to call her neighbor through an open mail slot. "She's in there. She's just hard of hearing.

On a day when temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees, residents sought refuge in the cool of air conditioned spaces at home, in malls and at senior centers. But Alice Wright walked the streets. The West Philadelphia block captain knocked on doors in the 3900 block of Pennsgrove Street to make sure the people she refers to as "her seniors" were okay. "They are the ones who are really vulnerable," said Wright, 70. The retired day care teacher has been checking on the elderly for over a decade.

The hot spell that has been slow-cooking the region and much of the nation is about to achieve a rarefied position in local weather lore. By the time things finally cool down Monday, this will have become one of Philadelphia's longest heat waves since the government began keeping score in 1874 - exceptional even given the recent run of hot summers. The temperature hit 98 Thursday at Philadelphia International Airport, but before most people got out of bed, the city already had tied a record for overnight warmth, with a "low" of 81. On Saturday, the temperature could reach a feverish 103. So far, heat has been blamed for contributing to at least five deaths in the region since late May. No new deaths were reported Thursday, but health officials remain concerned about the effects of the tenacious heat on the elderly and people with health problems.

The hot spell that has been slow-cooking the region, and much of the nation, is heading for a rarefied position in local weather lore. By the time things finally cool down Monday, this will have become one of Philadelphia's longest heat waves since the government began keeping score in 1874 - exceptional even given the recent run of hot summers. The temperature hit 98 this afternoon at Philadelphia International Airport, but before most people got out of bed, the city already had tied a record for overnight warmth, with a "low" of 81. On Saturday, the temperature could reach a feverish 102. So far, heat has been blamed for contributing to at least five deaths in the region since late May. No new deaths were reported today, but health officials remain concerned about the effects of the tenacious heat on the elderly and people with health problems.

As the hot spell's persistence stokes health concerns, Philadelphia has reported the region's fifth heat-related death since late May. A 70-year-old man with a history of heart disease was found dead Sunday in the second-floor bedroom of a Mount Airy home, said Health Department spokesman Jeff Moran. Fans were operating in the room and the windows were closed when the body was discovered. The toll may rise, for the second heat wave of the season is about to gain a second, potentially dangerous, wind.

Good time to start a week at the Shore. Today could reach the mid 90s in the Philadelphia area, with the upper 90s expected Friday through Sunday. An excessive heat warning has been issued for those three days, blanketing the city and nine nearby counties: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks in Pennsylvania, Gloucester, Camden, western Burlington and Mercer in New Jersey, and New Castle County in Delaware, according to the National Weather Service. Today was excluded because the humidity won't be bad. The Shore won't escape entirely, hitting the 90s Friday and Saturday in Ocean City and Atlantic City, but those popular destinations should top out in the 80s today and Sunday.

With an expected high of near 100 degrees, the Philadelphia region stands a good chance of hitting a record high for the date. The record for June 21 is 99, and the forecast from the National Weather Service in Mount Holly is one degree above that. So there's a solid shot at tying or breaking the record that has stood since 1923. And, with heat index values approaching 104 with humidity factored in, the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning through 6 a.m. Friday.

The temperature could make a run at a record 100 Thursday afternoon, but an endangered record that would be far less attention-getting worries Gary Szatkowski. During the early hours Friday, for a second consecutive day, readings in Philadelphia will have a hard time getting below the upper 70s. That's as uncomfortable as overnights get around here, and health experts warn that warm nights can be at least as dangerous as hot afternoons. Such nights have become ever more plentiful in recent years, a concern for the rest of this summer and future summers.

Welcome to the first day of summer. Before noon, the temperature in Philadelphia had already hit 90 degrees, qualifying as the first day of an expected heat wave, and it went all the way to 97 at 3:18 p.m., just one shy of the record. Record-threatening highs will combine with high humidity the next few days to produce heat index values in excess of 100 degrees. An excessive heat warning is in effect through Friday morning for the whole Philadelphia region, from Wilmington to Trenton, according to the National Weather Service.

The atmosphere has been in Fourth of July mode, and evidently it's primed to put on a fireworks show. Strong storms are likely after dark as a potent front tries to rout the first hot spell of the season. Fortunately, after a nightmare afternoon on the Schuylkill Expressway and its tributaries because of a truck accident, it appears the rain will hold off until after the evening commute. When it comes, it could do so furiously, and the National Weather Service has placed part of the region under a flash-flood watch until late tonight.