Sailor goes down amid searing, record heat in DC

July is typically the hottest month of the year in the Northeast, and 2020 has continued to not pull any punches as sizzling high temperatures scorch the region during the month's final week.

In Washington, D.C., on Monday, a sailor tasked with being a part of the joint military honor guard to carry the casket of the late Rep. John Lewis collapsed around 2 p.m. "due to extreme heat and dehydration," Naval District Washington spokesman Ed Ziegler told the Navy Times. The high temperature in the nation's capital on Monday was 96 degrees as military personnel stood in full uniform. Temperatures had reached 94 degrees by the time the unidentified sailor collapsed.

U.S. Capitol Police officers tend to a member of the joint services military honor guard who collapsed in the heat before carrying the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at the U.S. Capitol, Monday, July 27, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

"The United States Navy Ceremonial Guard are consummate professionals, but even they are vulnerable to the forces of Mother Nature," Ziegler said. He added that the sailor had since recovered.

On Tuesday, Washington, D.C., hit 90 degrees for the 26th time this month, claiming the most 90-degree days in one month in the city's history. The trend is expected to continue through Wednesday and Thursday.

Before noon on Tuesday, a handful of cities had already reached dizzying temperatures. By 9:25 a.m. EDT, before the most intense heat of the day typically sets in, La Guardia Airport in New York City had already reached 90 degrees. At T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, a previous record high of 95 degrees set in 1949 fell at 11:33 a.m. as the temperature climbed to 96 degrees.

The highest low temperatures are also soaring in cities across the region. Central Park recorded a low of 81 Tuesday morning, breaking the previous highest low record of 78 degrees for the date set in 1931.

Despite their numbers being reduced this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic, cooling centers in New York City have been working to juggle both keeping people safe as well as cool.

"I think it's always important to remind everybody to check on your neighbors, check on your family," Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Deanne Criswell told AccuWeather over a Skype interview. "Those that are the most vulnerable for COVID are also those that are the most vulnerable for heat and we want to make sure that they're staying safe and they're staying healthy."

The city emergency management, Criswell added, had installed air conditioners for vulnerable seniors this year as well to help them stay cool at home rather than at a potentially crowded cooling center. From the census tracking of the number of visitors, she said about 13,000 people visited the 500 cooling centers on days when other facilities that could be used as a break from the heat such as libraries were closed. Now, only 200 centers are opened and just under 300 people visited the centers last weekend.

The heat continues in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which also broke its record highest low for July 28. Tuesday morning the city recorded a low of 80 degrees before dropping to 77 later in the evening -- a degree above the previous record highest low of 76 degrees from 1949. The city has had an average temperature of 81.9 degrees so far this month, which is a whopping 6-degree departure from average.

Roanoke, Virginia, had a high of 91 degrees on July 23, breaking a record for the number of days recorded with a temperature above 90 degrees. The city hit 90 or above for 23 days, breaking the record of 22 days set back in 1966 with records dating back to 1912.

The trend has continued to date with every day in July 2020 having hit at least 90 degrees. The average high in July for Roanoke is 87 degrees, and the hottest day during the streak, July 20, reached 100 degrees. Overall, the departure for the month as of July 28 is 5.1 degrees above average in Roanoke, taking into account daytime and nighttime temperatures.

However, things may cool down for the final days of July. Current forecasts suggest the streak in Roanoke could end Thursday with a predicted high of 89. Should the mercury push for the extra degree, the last day of July is forecast to reach a high of only 83.

Photo by: STRF/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 7/20/20 New Yorkers contend with an extended heat wave, protests, riots, graffiti and the Coronavirus as the summer moves forward. Inflatable pools are set up on Orchard Street in Manhattan to help people cool down from the excessive heat.

More than 30 cities including Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; Norfolk, Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have seen their warmest July on record through July 27. If the month were to end on July 28, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said, some of these Northeastern cities would beat their all-time hottest July ever recorded.

However, temperatures for some of these cities might fall just short in the record books.

"Looking ahead to the final few days of the month, a weak cold front that will move through the region will put those chances in jeopardy as temperatures will return closer to seasonable averages for the final few days," Buckingham said.

In regard to 2020 as a whole, at least nine cities throughout the year so far have reached their respective highest counts of 90-degree days. No major cities made the list, but it includes Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; Caribou, Maine; Burlington, Vermont; and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Additional reporting by Dexter Henry

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