New York City sweltered through one of its hottest days in years on Wednesday, as the official temperature hit the 100-degree mark for the first time in nearly a decade and a half. The dangerous heat took its toll on residents and on the power grid alike, driving up demand for electricity and sending commuters scrambling for relief.
The milestone was recorded in Central Park, the city's official weather station. The temperature reached 100 degrees there for the first time in nearly 14 years, a mark the city had not touched since July 2012, and the reading tied the record high for the date.
It felt even worse than the thermometer suggested. With the high humidity factored in, feel-like temperatures climbed to 110 degrees or more in many areas, making conditions outside brutal for anyone who had to be out in the sun.
The strain quickly spread to the electrical system. Con Edison warned customers to cut back on their electricity use, and scattered power outages were reported across the region as the surge in demand pushed the grid to its limits during the hottest part of the day.
In one hard-hit area, the utility took emergency action. Con Edison shut off power in the Riverdale section of the Bronx after an electrical problem, saying the move was meant to prevent more widespread outages from cascading through the neighborhood as its crews worked on the equipment.
The company also moved to protect its network elsewhere. Con Edison asked customers in the northwest section of the Bronx and the northern tip of Manhattan to conserve energy, and it reduced voltage by 8 percent in those areas to safeguard equipment and keep service running while repairs were carried out.
The heat reached into the daily commute as well. There were delays reported on New Jersey Transit, while subway riders described stifling platforms and train cars with no working air conditioning, with some passengers saying they hunted from car to car in search of one that was cool.
With the extreme heat expected to persist into the holiday weekend, officials urged New Yorkers to take the conditions seriously, to stay hydrated and to check on vulnerable neighbors. Authorities pointed people toward cooling centers and other resources as the city braced for more punishing temperatures.