The current heat wave gripping the tri-state has had deadly consequences in New Jersey.
Nineteen people across New Jersey have died in the first week of July, the state’s health commissioner said Saturday.
“We started to see what we believe to be heat-related deaths as early as Thursday of this week,” Dr. Raynard Washington said. “We are now up to 19 suspected heat-related deaths across the state, with most of those being in the central to northern part of the state.”
Washington and Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who also attended the press conference, did not give any further information on the ages of those who had died. The health commissioner did stress the circumstances of those dead varied significantly.
“Unfortunately, many of these individuals were found in homes without air conditioning; few were outside of their residence, some on the street, and some even in parked cars,” according to Washington.
Last year’s heat wave resulted in six heat-related deaths, the health commissioner said.
The heat has not been the only weather factor in the region. The arrival of vicious storms late Friday knocked out power to thousands of utility customers, wrecked havoc on NJ Transit operations, and downs countless trees.
By noon on July Fourth, temperatures across parts of the Northeast were already soaring back toward triple digits, resuming conditions likely to be relieved by the storms predicted to follow, leaving temperatures much lower for the start of a new week.