New Jersey Suspects Heat Caused 19 Deaths

Several days of scorching temperatures are suspected to have caused at least 19 deaths in New Jersey as a heat dome that had settled above parts of the central and eastern US gives way to severe storms that have knocked out power to close to 1 million homes and businesses. New Jersey officials said they began seeing what they believe are heat-related deaths as early as Thursday, the AP reports, with most occurring in the central and northern parts of the state. “Unfortunately, many of these individuals were found in homes without air conditioning,” state Health Commissioner Raynard Washington told reporters Saturday. “A few were outside their residences, some on the street and some even in parked cars.”

The ongoing weather is “the hottest stretch we’ve seen in over 14 years,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said. “The heat’s hitting all of us, not just seniors, not just with underlying health conditions, people of all ages.” On Thursday, LaGuardia Airport in New York set a record high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, topping the previous record of 101 set in 1966, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. Trenton, New Jersey, reached 101, which broke the record of 100 set in 1901. Newark’s high Thursday was 105.

Even as the heat moved east, lowering temperatures a bit, severe storms blew in with heavy winds that toppled utility poles and split trees, causing their boles and branches to fall onto power lines. About 900,000 utility customers in parts of the central, eastern, and southern US were without electricity early Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com. More than 223,000 customers in Michigan and close to 170,000 in Pennsylvania had lost power. PPL Electric reported 121,417 without power Sunday morning, including about 47,000 in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area.