60M in U.S. under heat advisories through July 4th

0 0 July 3, 2018 Edit this post

A heat wave turned deadly in Pennsylvania and authorities are investigating two possible heat related in Missouri. As temperatures swelter in the East more than 60 million people remain under a heat advisory. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

By Susan McFarland, UPI

The heat wave blanketing the Northeast United States was deadly in Pennsylvania, and authorities are investigating two possible heat-related deaths in Missouri.

[post_ads]Officials Tuesday are warning people how serious the heat can be as nearly 60 million people remain under a heat advisory or warning, a condition expected through the July Fourth.

New York City could top 90 degrees for up to a week straight-- something the National Weather Service said only happens about once every 33 years.

"Heat related illnesses possible through this time period, especially for at-risk populations such as the elderly, very young, and those with mental illnesses," the NWS in New York warned.

Temperatures in New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Hartford, Conn., and Albany, N.Y., have been about 20 degrees above average during the heat wave, which is expected to stick around through Thursday.

A 64-year-old woman who had been outside working in her garden in Blair County, Pa., died of heat stroke last weekend, officials said.

In Kansas City, two deaths are being investigated, including a man in his 80s who died Monday and a woman in her 40s, who died last week, according to the city's health department.

Officials are warning people to "drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, and stay out of the sun."

The combination of heat and humidity in some places in the East are making temperatures feel like 100 to 110 degrees, with advisories and warnings from Virginia to Maine. In New York and New Jersey heat index values are up to 105.