Excessive Heat — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2008-07-16 to 2008-07-22 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

The longest heat wave of the summer affected eastern Pennsylvania from July 16th through the 22nd. The heat wave ended on the 22nd as thunderstorms kept temperatures below 90 degrees on the 23rd. a cold front overnight then brought in drier air. High temperatures were mainly in the lower to mid 90s throughout the heat wave. The hottest days occurred on the 18th, 19th or 20th. The combination of the temperatures and dew points produced apparent temperatures or heat indices of around 100F. There were six heat related deaths in Philadelphia. All of them were in homes that did not have air conditioning.

The excessive heat triggered the Philadelphia Corporate of Aging to run a heat phone line in which they counseled the elderly about precautions to take against the heat and how to detect signs of heat stress. City health department nurses were available to answer questions also. It also triggered an alert to 7000 block captains throughout Philadelphia in urging relatives, neighbors and other voluntary groups to check on the elderly. The city Fire Department increased its emergency medical staffing. The Philadelphia Senior Center in conjunction with Comcast gave away three hundred window fans. In the Philadelphia suburbs, the Chester County Department of Aging Services had fans available for elderly residents requesting them. In Delaware County, a heat information line was also opened and the hours of air-conditioned senior centers were expanded. Because of poor air quality, the Suburban Link offered free rides in Chester and Montgomery Counties.

A 17-year-old boy drowned early on July 23rd after he and three friends jumped from a railroad trestle into the Lehigh River in the Glen Onoko area of the Lehigh Gorge State Park. His body was found about six hours later.

Highest temperatures included 98 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 96 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and Reading (Berks County) and 94 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Easton (Northampton County), Pottstown (Montgomery County), West Chester (Chester County) and Doylestown (Bucks County).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 124676. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.