Jun 8, 2008 11:31 pm US/Eastern
Heat Wave Continues; Temperatures Approach Record
Storm Spawns Outages, Travel Trouble
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Strong thunderstorms raked the New York metro area Sunday on a second day of 90-plus temperatures, tossing trees onto cars and across train tracks, delaying airline flights for hours and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
One tree toppled across a car in a picnic area at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, sending two occupants to a hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries, regional state parks director George Gorman said.
Storms packing wind gusts estimated at up to 50 mph swirled through the area between about 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., leaving battered trees and other damage, especially on eastern Long Island. Suffolk County police said reports of downed trees and power lines cropped up across the area.
The storms uprooted or snapped as many as 150 of Bethpage State Park's trees and left limbs hanging from many more, forcing the closure of three of the park's five golf courses Monday, Gorman said. At Robert Moses State Park in Babylon, two lifeguard stands toppled and two storage sheds overturned, he said.
Five fallen trees cut off some service Sunday evening on the Long Island Rail Road, and lightning strikes scrambled signals and caused delays of up to an hour on other parts of the commuter line. Delays at John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports stretched to more than 2 hours, while the backup was more than 90 minutes at LaGuardia.
More than 24,000 Long Island Power Authority customers were without power late Sunday. Consolidated Edison reported about 1,900 outages in New York City and Westchester County. The bulk were in Brooklyn, where a series of smoking manholes also shut down some subway lines and caused major delays on others earlier in the day. The utility said it wasn't clear whether the manhole troubles were weather-related.
The utility said it could take until Monday night to restore power completely.
Sunday's high temperature in Central Park hit 93 degrees, just shy of the 95-degree record for the date, set in 1933.
Melanie Duncan, a visitor from Toronto, lounged under a tree in the park with two friends, eating ice cream and complaining about the heat.
"It's making us drink a lot more beer," Duncan said.
The weather didn't thin the crowds at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade, but a Fire Department spokesman said paramedics treated more marchers than usual for heat exhaustion.
New Yorkers found several ways to keep cool - fans, air conditioning, a pool, a pond, a dip at the beach.
Coney
Island was packed, but those expecting to escape their furnace-like
homes were dealt a shock. The heat is on even at the ocean's edge.
"It feels extremely hot," said Michelle Depra. "But we are still happy cause I got my whole family here."
So how do you stay cool at the beach? Lots of water. That's the trick," said Chimene Gonzalez. "Yes it is."
Another good idea would be slapping on sun block.
"I'm trying not to get melanoma later in life," said Mark Dvorak while applying sun block on himself.
And the misery wasn't likely to let up: Even hotter weather was forecast for Monday.
CBS 2's Elise Finch says temperatures around the region were expected to reach the upper 90s on Monday, and NYC may tie the record high of 97, but humidity will make it feel between 100 and 105.
The heat wave should break by midweek, with high temperatures falling back into the 80s, he said.
During a heat wave in late July and early August of 2006, 40 people died directly from heat stroke, and the sometimes triple-digit temperatures contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.
Severe Weather Alerts:
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
New Jersey: Sussex, Morris, Warren
Excessive Heat Warning (ends 8 p.m. Tuesday)
New Jersey: Mercer, Northwestern Burlington, Camden, Gloucester
Heat Wave Forecast:
Monday: More heat.
High: 97
Low: 78
Tuesday: Warm again, late day storms.
High: 94
Low: 77
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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