BUFFALO, NY - Mid-summer heat is here and we are headed for the 90s. High temperatures have remained above 80 degrees for 21 of the last 22 days. The peak of the heat was on Thursday when temperatures rose into the 90s with dewpoints well into the 70s creating muggy air that felt more like 105F. Here are some high temperatures from Thursday:
Dansville - 102F
Syracuse - 101F
Rochester - 98F (record)
Wellsville - 96F
Niagara Falls - 95F
Bradford, PA - 95F
Jamestown - 93F
Dunkirk - 92F
Buffalo Airport - 90F
Buffalo Waterfront - 80F
The City of Buffalo announced Wednesday six centers will be extending their hours through Friday for anyone who needs to escape the heat. They include:
- *Senior Ctr. at Richmond Street and Summer-8:30 AM-8PM
- *Autumnwood Senior Ctr. at 1800 Clinton St.-8:30 AM-8 PM
- *Delavan-Grider Community Ctr.-877 East Delavan-8:30 AM-6 PM
- *Edward Saunders Community Ctr.-2777 Bailey Ave.-8:30 AM-9 PM
- *Friends of the Elderly-118 East Utica-8:30 AM-8 PM
The Town of Evans are also opening three cooling centers in their community to help residents beat the heat.
- *Evans Town Hall, 8787 Erie Road, Angola: 8am-4pm
After 4pm until the heat index drops:
- *Lake Erie Beach Fire Company, 9483 Lake Shore Road, Angola
- *Evans Center Fire Department, 8298 Erie Road, Angola
- *North Evans Fire Department, 6980 Versailles Plank Rd.
In Lockport, the Rapids Fire company has opened two fire halls as cooling centers until 7p.m. on Thursday:
- 7195 Plank Road
- 6131 Old Beattie Road
In West Seneca, summer school classes for Thursday have been canceled because of the heat.
Residents in Buffalo and Niagara Falls looking for ways to beat the heat also have another way to cool off a little longer this week.
Falls Mayor Paul Dyster announced Wednesday hours at the city's public pools will be extended two hours through Friday and will now be open until 6 PM instead of the usual 4 PM. Those pools open at 11 AM.
On Tuesday, Mayor Byron Brown announced that Buffalo city pools and splash pads will open an hour early and stay open an hour late Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The new hours for those days only are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
When asked, Brown said officers will be stepping up patrols to ensure people aren't swimming in dangerous waters, like Cazenovia Creek and Squaw Island, where there have already been drowning deaths this year.
"We are concerned," said Brown, "which is why we have posted all those locations with extra signs, which is why we continue to get out the message, which is do not swim in any unsupervised body of water."
City officials estimate the extended hours will cost the city about $2,000.
The extreme heat is affecting how many Westermn New Yorkers are doing things. A lacrosse camp in West Seneca had plenty of water on hand for the girls participating on Wednesday.
"We bring a lot more water ice, we give them a lot of chances to just, whenever they're hot they're supposed to stop [playing]," said coach Rick Schmitt.
From hot fields to hot cars, broken air conditioners are keeping one mechanic busier than usual, all because of the heat.
"It really puts a lot of pressure on the air conditioning system on the cars and people that didn't want them fixed earlier are now getting it fixed," said Randy Williams, a mechanic.
While 90 degree readings are not uncommon in the summer, Buffalo rarely reaches the mid or upper 90s. The last time the National Weather Service thermometer read 95 degrees was back in June of 2005. Buffalo already set a record for warmest low temperature on July 19th & 21st as the lowest temperature reading was a warm 75 & 76 degrees.
Officially at the National Weather Service at the Buffalo Niagara airport the temperature reached 89 on Wednesday and 90 degrees on Thursday a few degrees shy of the records of 91 & 93 degrees held down in part by the lake breeze while other parts of WNY sizzled. Niagara Falls experienced highs in the mid 90s, Rochester set a record for the date reaching 98 and Syracuse hit 101 although missed setting a record by 1 degree.
The record at Buffalo for Friday July 22nd is 94 in 1953.