It'll Be A Triple-H Scorcher Today

NEW YORK (WCBS 880 / AP) -- Remember the three Hs? Well, if you've forgotten about heat, haze, or humidity, you'll just have to step outside today and you'll get a reminder instantly.

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Con Ed Takes the Heat

Hot in the Streets

Weather To Go

Today is expected to be the hottest day of this heat wave.

WCBS Chief Meteorologist Craig Allen forecasts Monday's high temperatures at between 95 and 100 degrees in the city, with higher temperatures elsewhere. The heat index should be at 105 or higher. The Jersey shore could see actual temperatures above 100 degrees.

This afternoon, any thunderstorms should be isolated.

If you must go outside, please take care. Wear sunblock and drink plenty of water. Click here to find a New York City cooling center near you.

UPDATE (2:00p) - The state has issued an air pollution advisory for New York City and Long Island.

The Health and Environmental Conservation departments say the problem is ozone, a major component of smog. The summer heat is a factor.

The smog especially affects people who work or exercise outdoors, and those with respiratory problems.

The ozone advisory is in effect until midnight.

Monday night, it should be warm and muggy with temperatures no lower than 75 to 80 degrees.

Special attention was being directed toward the frail and elderly. During a heat wave in late July and early August of 2006, 40 people died directly from heat stroke, and the sometimes triple-digit temperatures contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.

``We're calling on all New Yorkers to check in on the homebound elderly,'' said Beth Shapiro, spokeswoman for Citymeals on Wheels. The program's deliverers were making sure clients are well hydrated; meal boxes include fruit and extra liquids.

The city's Department for the Aging also was urging ``a friendly knock on the door to say hello'' and make sure all is well, said spokesman Christopher Miller.

``It's just crazy. ... It's really, really hot,'' said Jessica Pena, 27. She had her hair up in a bun as she swept a midtown Manhattan street at around 8:15 a.m., when it already was in the upper 80s.

The relentless heat comes a day after thunderstorms tossed trees on train tracks, delayed airlines for hours and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses.

Consolidated Edison reported about 1,300 outages in Brooklyn, mainly in the Boerum Hill section, due to smoking cables underground. There were scattered outages on Staten Island, in Queens and in Westchester County. Crews were working to restore service.

``Our second hot day and they can't even handle it,'' Christine Rankin said in Monday editions of the Daily News as she sat on the stoop of her Brooklyn home waiting for her power to be restored.

More than 5,740 Long Island Power Authority customers were without electricity Monday morning after the previous night's storms. They are mostly in Rockaway Peninsula, where almost 2,400 customers were without power, and in Brookhaven with 1,500 outages.

Nearly 10,000 customers in Putnam and northern Westchester counties lost power, but most were quickly restored, according to New York State Electric and Gas. The utility said it expects to have most customers back online by noon, but some won't have their power back on until Monday night.

Sunday's high temperature in Central Park hit 93 degrees, just shy of the 95-degree record for the date, set in 1933.

Melanie Duncan, a visitor from Toronto, lounged under a tree in the park with two friends, eating ice cream and complaining about the heat. ``It's making us drink a lot more beer,'' Duncan said.

The weather didn't thin the crowds at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade, but a Fire Department spokesman said paramedics treated more marchers than usual for heat exhaustion.