Air Conditioners Overworked, Schools Closed in Eastern Heat

Utilities asked customers to cut their use of electricity Monday as air conditioners strained against the fourth day of a heat wave in the Northeast that closed schools and sent thousands to beaches in search of relief.

Temperatures in the Northeast soared, with a record-tying 87 at Portland, Me., a record-tying 94 at Newark, N.J., and a record-tying 93 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

New York City reached 93 degrees, with the normal temperature at this time of year at 76.

“This oppressive humidity is going to be with us the rest of the week. Even if the temperature is lower, it’s going to remain uncomfortable,” Bob Stalker of the National Weather Service said.

Tops Appliance City in Secaucus, N.J., has sold 2,300 fans and 5,400 air conditioners since Friday. “They’re buying them without asking questions. Our sales are up 100%, and today we had a mob,” manager Sandy Belli said.

Officials at Tuckerton Elementary School at Tuckerton, N.J., sent 300 students home at 1 p.m. when temperatures in some rooms reached as high as 94 degrees. About 600 students were sent home from Central Regional Middle School in Berkeley Township, N.J.

Even though it was a workday, New York’s Parks Department reported that, by 2 p.m., 70,000 people had their blankets spread at city beaches, where the water temperature was between 53 and 65 degrees.