Heat Wave Continues in WNY and Many Other Areas

In this blistering heat, there is more to be concerned about than just feeling uncomfortable.  People, and animals, can fall victim to heat stroke due to rising temperatures.

Take a look at this article below from MSNBC that talks about recent weather activity on the East Coast and in the Midwest parts of the U.S.  Be sure to keep hydrated and stay safe!

(Click this link to see the article online along with photos of the heat wave  - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43851978/ns/weather?gt1=43001)

East Coast A.M. Commute in the 90's; Triple Digits Coming 

'It's not just about discomfort' but 'survival,' says health expert; 29 states under heat alert

Msnbc.com staff and news service reports 

BOSTON — It felt like 96 in Boston, and that was just during the morning commute, as the East Coast braced for searing triple-digit temperatures later Friday.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories for 29 states in the country's mid-section and along the East Coast.

The heat has roasted communities across the Midwest for nearly a week. Already responsible for at least 22 deaths, the heat wave moved east on Thursday.

Meteorologists also warned of poor air quality in numerous cities in the northeast, with a code red air quality — designated as unhealthy for all people — forecast for Baltimore and Washington, D.C., according to the Weather Channel's Mark Avery.

"In this heat, it's not just about discomfort," Latoya White, executive director of Health Leads, a program run out of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., told The Washington Post.

She told the paper that for many people it's about "survival."

The unrelenting heat prompted power provider Consolidated Edison to reduce voltage in some New York neighborhoods overnight, a so-called brownout. 

The company said increased use of air conditioners could push power usage to an all-time record on Friday, although Con Ed and other power companies said they had enough electricity to meet demand.
The thermometer during Boston's morning commute hit 88 degrees, with a heat index of 96 degrees, and the mercury was expected to climb relentlessly through the day. 

"It only gets worse from here," said meteorologist Alan Dunham with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. 

"We're looking at a high air temperature of about 102 with a heat index value up to 108," he said of the Boston area. 

New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and other major East Coast metropolises likewise faced stifling heat and should expect to come close to or surpass record highs, according to AccuWeather.com. 


Boston's forecast was expected to fall just two degrees shy of its highest temperature on record, 104 degrees set in 1911. 

"Today in the Midwest and the Northeast, it's not only record heat, but the humidity is unusually high as well. It's kind of a double-whammy," said AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Tom Kines.
Cities up and down the East Coast opened cooling centers and extended public pool hours to offer residents some relief. 

On top of the heat, areas of southern coastal New England were warned about unhealthy air quality due to high levels of smog. 

By the weekend, most of New England will cool off, but the Mid-Atlantic is expected to stay "hot and miserable" through early next week, Kines said. 

In parts of the Midwest and in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, the heat will also linger, he added.
The combined heat and humidity could spike the heat index or "real feel" of the warmth to 115 degrees through Saturday.

By early Thursday afternoon in New York City, the thermometer hit 91 but it felt more like 112, according to Accuweather.com.

According to the Weather Channel, these searing temperatures in the Big Apple are rare: Central Park has only registered 57 days of triple-digit heat since 1870. The city of Rochester, N.Y., was bracing for its first day of heat of more than 100 degrees since 1953, the Weather Channel said.

Other cities watching their local heat indexes rise into the triple digits because of the oppressive mix of high temperatures and humidity included — among others — Tulsa, St. Louis, Buffalo, and Washington, D.C.

In Chicago, where a five-day heat wave in 1995 killed hundreds, the city on Thursday endured a fifth consecutive day of abnormally high temperatures with the heat index hitting 110 in the early afternoon — and forecasters warned the heat wave could continue into the weekend.

Unhealthy smog levels triggered by the heat were reported in Chicago, where residents were asked by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to reduce polluting activities such as idling cars and mowing lawns.


Cattle 'starving'

In Oklahoma, where the heat has exacerbated a severe drought, Gov. Mary Fallin said she planned to ease commercial vehicle restrictions to speed delivery of hay and other feed to cattle whose grazing areas have been destroyed by the weather.

"We have cattle that are starving," Fallin told Reuters, "and we have certain areas of the state where we need to get the hay delivered to the farmers and the ranchers and the cattlemen."

With the promise of refreshing ocean breezes, Boston's whale-watching ships and high speed tourist boats sold out their trips by mid-morning on Thursday.

Cooling centers in Richmond, Va., and New York welcomed overheated residents and a truck labeled "Water Fountain on the Go" cruised Manhattan streets, offering to refill empty water bottles to keep residents hydrated.

By the weekend the heat was expected to cover nearly 50 percent of the country and impact nearly half the population, according to AccuWeather.com forecaster Mary Yoon.

"What makes this heat wave so impressive is the pure size and longevity," said Yoon.

Longstanding records in Philadelphia and other cities may melt away by Friday, when the mercury was expected to spike, according to meteorologist Meghan Evans of AccuWeather.com.

"Do not take this threat lightly," the NWS warned in a statement on its website, noting the extreme temperatures are particularly dangerous for the elderly and the very young.

"The length of this heat wave will pose a very real and dangerous health risk to these at-risk groups and those that do not have access to air conditioning," the statement said.

Most of the 22 deaths linked to the high temperatures have occurred in the Midwest.

Reuters contributed to this report.