Eastern U.S. residents endured a second day of early-season heat on Wednesday after record temperatures were reported in parts of the region, with forecasters expecting additional warmth to continue for at least one more day. The National Weather Service said temperatures would run at record levels from the mid-Atlantic to New England before a cold front later in the week brought rain.
In Philadelphia, the school district moved students at 57 schools to remote learning, saying it had made progress on cooling but that some buildings still lacked adequate air conditioning. Lauren Authur, a Philadelphia resident, said the heat arrived earlier than expected and raised concerns about how quickly households would use air conditioning even before summer begins.
Authur described the day as “like a heatwave” and said parents with young children rely on air conditioning to reduce the risk of illness. She added that the warm weather “honestly got hot sooner than we expected it to be,” pointing to how quickly electricity use can climb when heat comes early.
Elsewhere, officials set out steps aimed at reducing exposure and helping students cope. In Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, one high school arranged fans, provided bottled water and let students wear shorts and T-shirts rather than their usual uniforms. Student Ariolainy Baez said the heat outside could feel manageable with wind, but the conditions inside were “just tight and burdening” during quizzes and exams, with “no excuse” for discomfort.
A heat advisory covered portions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Wednesday evening, according to officials. In Maine, temperatures rose again Wednesday, continuing the pattern of unusual warmth that followed local heat records set the day before in Portland and in nearby Fryeburg.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention urged residents to limit heat exposure, saying “Our bodies are not adapted to the heat yet” and emphasizing that people should take breaks in shade or air conditioning and drink plenty of water on the first hot days of the year.
In New York City, officials opened cooling centers as temperatures ran high. Mayor Zohran Mamdani compared the city’s response to heat to how New Yorkers look out for one another during the coldest winter days, saying, “Just as New Yorkers look out for one another through the coldest days of winter, we must do the same through the hottest days of the year.”
The National Weather Service said record high temperatures were broken Tuesday in Portland, Maine, where the day reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius), and in Boston, where the high reached 96 degrees (35.5 degrees Celsius). Temperatures were expected to drop sharply as soon as Thursday, with lows forecast as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) in Portland and 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius) in Boston.
Some people sought relief by going to beaches before peak summer crowds arrived, while others turned yard sprinklers into makeshift water play areas for children and neighbors. With conditions improving after the cold front and rain later in the week, officials and health agencies focused on preventing heat stress during a stretch of unusually early warmth.