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Judson Jones, a meteorologist and weather reporter at The New York Times, doesn’t need to tell you: It’s hot out there. A heat wave crawled across swaths of the United States this week, bringing with it power outages and sauna-like streets.
Mr. Jones relies on his decades of experience, on the ground and in the (actual) clouds above, to give readers up-to-date information and context about the record-breaking temperatures.
When he first saw forecast models last week that signaled sweltering weather in the Midwest, he wrote about why it was so dangerous. And as temperatures in New York City climbed on Tuesday, with Central Park hitting its highest temperature in more than 10 years, he reported on why drier air created ripe conditions for the extremes.
Though things have since cooled a bit in New York City, many areas of the contiguous United States still experienced dangerous levels of heat on Thursday.
In an interview, Mr. Jones discussed how he had prepared to cover the stifling weather, what you can expect and how you can stay safe — and even how to enjoy a summer cocktail, provided you’ve had enough water first. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
When did you see the heat wave coming, and how did you prepare to cover it?
Last week, the model started pointing at the big heat wave. My first story went up last Thursday. The computer forecast models did a really good job of picking up on this pattern.
There was a lot of certainty that there was going to be a fairly bad heat wave before it happened. On Friday, I happened to be at the National Weather Service out on Long Island, doing another story. We said, “Oh, this could actually be the warmest since 2012.” I put it in the story, and then I thought, this is actually a fairly big deal.
That changed the nature of the coverage. But it wasn’t just New York. From Atlanta all the way up to Boston, there were many sites that would potentially break records. At J.F.K., the old daily record was 97, and the record for June was 99; this week, it was 102. It was a pretty drastic difference. We’ve been warmer; even Central Park has been warmer, but for this early in the season, it’s still fairly notable.
Is this kind of heat wave significant for this time of year?
Yeah, and that can overrun emergency rooms. It’s a similar problem in areas like Las Vegas, where tourists come in during a heat wave and their bodies aren’t acclimated to it. With early season heat waves, your body’s not acclimated to that temperature yet, so it’s a lot more jarring. It’s almost like climbing a mountain. Your body has to adjust to the climate.
That’s especially a concern because it has been so much cooler than average. It was rainy in May and June, but temperature-wise, it was fabulous in New York. To all of a sudden go from those milder temperatures to 100-degree heat with a higher heat index, now that can shock the system. That was a big concern coming into this week. In the Northeast this early in the season, that’s not what you would expect.
What can people expect for the next few days and the rest of the summer?
There’s always heat somewhere that’s surprising us. It’s the nature of weather. Heat is definitely something we’re always concerned about, especially as the Earth warms because of climate change. It’s always a concern having these above average temperatures. When you have humidity and heat, it’s harder for the body to cool off.
There are areas in the country you have to be concerned with, where people don’t have air conditioning, that are now getting more heat waves, like in the Northwest or the Northeast, the Berkshires, or upstate New York, where people don’t have the A.C. that we’re more accustomed to in the South, or even now in New York City.
What do you recommend people do in those environments?
Take it slow. Now is the time to plan and ask, “Is it worth having a backup A.C. unit, even just for one room?” Also, stay hydrated. I have some amazing cocktail recipes for summer heat, but they come with a very big warning that you shouldn’t drink alcohol without adequate cooling because it can dehydrate you. So can coffee. Stick to water, and foods that can hydrate you.
And know the warning signs of heat-related problems. Even nausea could be a side effect of your body being distressed. Being in tune to your distress and the people around you could help save someone’s life.
Emmett Lindner writes about breaking and trending news. He has written about international protests, climate change and social media influencers.
The post It’s Heating Up Outside. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal. appeared first on New York Times.
