New Yorkers told to take it easy Wednesday, as temperatures soar toward a heat wave
NEW YORK -- Temperatures continued to swelter Wednesday, as New York City remains on track for its first heat wave of the summer this week.
Depending on who you ask, this weather is either the worst or the best thing to happen in early September.
In Central Park, people were out and about.
This week's extreme heat is changing the game for everyone from locals to fans and players at the US Open.
"It's extremely humid. It's worse than it was yesterday," Upper West Side resident Fran Demouy said. "I stay out of the sun, and I put my curtains down and I watch bad TV."
"It's hot as hell, but I'm faring OK," Midtown resident Jamie Miles said while walking a dog. "Yesterday, she was out for a long time, but it did a number on her. So I'm being careful today."
CBS New York's Christina Fan caught up with people around Central Park to see how they were dealing with the weather.
The only place hotter than the pavement on a sweltering summer day may be the inside of Isaac Sabeha's food truck.
"Very hot. It's very, very hot," he told Fan.
From 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., he mans the grill with little respite, except for the occasional breeze.
"We have a family, we have to work hard. What can we do?" he said.
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"It's not easy, but you've got to fight," tennis superstar Novak Djokovic said.
Organizers of the US Open partially closed the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium to help provide shade.
During a quarterfinal match where he took the win, Daniil Medvedev expressed frustration about playing in the heat, saying, "I cannot imagine. One player gonna die, and they're gonna see."
To help the most vulnerable New Yorkers, the city has opened dozens of cooling centers across the five boroughs, like one on West 73rd Street, where seniors can escape the dangerous conditions.
"It's deadly, especially for older people - it's deadly, deadly, deadly. So places like this are super important," cooling center director Dan Young said. "We want them to come enjoy the meals and activities, but even if they just want to sit and watch TV and get out of the heat."
Watch Jessica Moore's report
As people soaked up the sun at Coney Island Beach, health officials are warning of the dangers of too much exposure.
Some tips:
- Go inside an air conditioned location, even for a few hours
- Stay out of the sun as much as possible
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid working in the heat
As we know, that's not always possible.
Climate experts say temperatures are getting warming each summer, and even in the overnight hours, lows are higher than what they used to be.
"All these buildings, all this concrete and asphalt, that actually holds the thermal energy overnight, so we don't have a chance to cool down at night, and this is causing a lot of very real health impacts for people," said Thaddeus Pawlowski, managing director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes.
While this will be the first heat wave of the year for New York, Europe has been baking all summer. Even so, tourists waiting in line at the Intrepid said it's easier to stay cool over there than in the concrete jungle.
"We do notice there is a lot of concrete and asphalt, and hitting the asphalt is like a fist to your face sometimes," said Ingeborg De Graaf, from the Netherlands.
To put things into perspective, temperatures across the world hit an all-time high this summer, but things have been relatively below average here in our area.
City pools will also be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day this week.
We're told all schools will limit outdoor activities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and move any strenuous activities inside. Students are being encouraged to wear lightweight clothing and drink a lot of water.
CLICK HERE for our complete Summer Safety Guide.