This Humid, Smoggy NYC Heat Will Last at Least Until Friday Night, Forecasters Say

Image via AccuWeather

Note: We’ll be updating this post as weather predictions change, so check back.

NEW YORK CITY, NY — This week's disgusting trifecta of raging humidity, smog and heat in New York City — plus a side of possible flash flooding and thunderstorms — is expected to continue through Friday night and perhaps even into the weekend, according to government weather officials.

Air quality alerts and heat advisories were issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (July 6 through July 8.)

The combination of heat and humidity Friday will make the air feel like it's in the upper 90s, the NWS said.

This is NYC's first major heat wave of 2016. And its sudden, surging nature could be the trend for the rest of the month, according to the weather news site AccuWeather. "Episodes of heat, rather than steady heat, will continue in the Midwest and Northeast through much of the balance of July," said Paul Pastelok, a long-range meteorologist for AccuWeather.

A flash flood watch was also in effect Thursday through 6 p.m., in anticipation of a gnarly thunderstorm rolling through and dumping its load on the city.

"Thunderstorms will be capable of producing very heavy rain of up to 2 inches in a short period of time," the NWS warned. "Rainfall of this magnitude could cause flash flooding of urban, low lying, and poor drainage areas."

The storms "could also produce isolate damaging wind gusts," the NWS said.

More thunderstorms could hit this weekend, forecasters said, but they likely won't be as hot as Friday's, as the weekend's high temps are expected to drop to the mid 80s.

“We’re experiencing extremely hot and potentially dangerous weather,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. “New Yorkers should take extra precautions to stay safe: stay indoors, use air conditioning and look in on seniors or anyone with a medical condition that may be vulnerable to heat illness."

Higher-than-usual ozone levels — aka, smog levels — are also expected to muck up the NYC metro area through at least Friday night.

The most familiar form of ozone is the ozone that forms a layer way up in the Earth’s atmosphere, protecting us from ultraviolet rays. But when ozone forms at ground level, it’s considered a major air pollutant — and "unhealthy for sensitive groups," if levels exceed an Air Quality Index of 100.

Before this week, the highest ozone levels we had seen so far this year were around 120. Levels are expected to reach 125 by midday Wednesday, then drop to 101 on Thursday and 105 on Friday.

"In the Earth's lower atmosphere, near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight,"according to the DEC. "Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant."

So, in anticipation of all this ground-level ozone expected to invade NYC until at least 11 p.m. Friday, the DEC recommends that:

People, especially young children, those who exercise outdoors, those involved in vigorous outdoor work and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma) should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce your exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing should consider consulting their doctor.

For more information, New Yorkers can call the toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) or check the ozone fact sheet on the DOH website.