A punishing heat wave peaked across the Northeast on June 24, breaking temperature records and straining emergency services. Boston hit 102°F, marking its hottest June day ever, while Providence reached 100°F, beating its 1945 June record. Newark tied its June record of 103°F.
The intense heat, driven by a heat dome, strained infrastructure and public health systems.
In South Carolina, lightning struck Lake Murray, injuring 20 people, with 12 hospitalized for non-life-threatening conditions. In Missouri, a woman in the St. Louis area died after days without air conditioning or water. Massachusetts reported two firefighters hospitalized for heat exhaustion, and in Paterson, New Jersey, over 150 people were treated for heat-related symptoms at high school graduations.
Relief is on the way, with cooler temperatures forecast for the East starting June 26, with normal late-June heat expected to persist through the weekend.