Heat — Western Cape May, New Jersey

2005-07-18 to 2005-07-19 · Western Cape May, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

A hot and very humid air mass enveloped southern New Jersey on the 18th and 19th. High temperatures reached into the lower 90s, but dewpoint temperatures were in the mid 70s. The combination produced afternoon heat indices of between 100 and 105. In addition, the high dewpoints prevented temperatures from falling lower than the 70s in most places at night, especially in urbanized locations. The excessive heat caused the death of two people in Cape May County. The excessive heat caused an increase in the number of elderly people with breathing problems caused by the heat and elevated ozone levels. Hospitals also saw a slight increase in patients suffering heat exhaustion. Atlantic County hospitals treated about 35 persons with heat related illnesses. Camden County opened eight stop-in centers to give the elderly and residents a cool place to go during the extreme heat. The excessive heat put a strain on utilities. Atlantic City Electric set an all-time usage record of 2,683 megawatts between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. EDT on the 19th. The heat also took its toll on roadways and bridges. The 9th Street Drawbridge could not be closed in Ocean City (Cape May County).A cold front that moved through the state late in the day on the 19th, did not lower temperatures much, but humidity levels were much lower on the 20th through the 24th. Dewpoint temperatures on the afternoon of the 20th were 10 to 15 degrees lower than they were the two previous days. The highest temperatures included 94 degrees at the Atlantic City International Airport, 92 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and 91 degrees at the Mercer County Airport.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5468228. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.