'Be Smart' About Electricity Use Amid Heat Advisory, Mayor Warns

NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers should avoid unnecessary electricity use the next few days as extreme heat continues across the five boroughs, the mayor warned.

A heat advisory in place Thursday that could extend into the weekend will mean a strain on New York City's electrical system, threatening outages as New Yorkers try to stay cool, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"If you don't need to do the laundry, if you don't need to use the microwave, if you don't need to use air conditioning...turn off anything you don't need," de Blasio said in a press conference with the Emergency Management team. "Everyone working together a little bit is going to help us protect energy for everyone."

A high of nearly 106 degrees for New York City's heat index is expected Thursday and Friday, with elevated temperatures potentially extending into Saturday as well, Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani said.

An "Excessive Heat Warning" issued by the National Weather Service will be in place for the city until 8 p.m. on Thursday and will likely be extended, Scrivani said.

Officials are also on the lookout for flash floods given the possibility of thunderstorms, he added.

Scrivani and de Blasio advised New Yorkers to limit their time outdoors and check on neighbors throughout the heat advisory. More than 300 cooling centers have been set up across the five boroughs to help cool down, they said.

The city has also extended public pool hours until 8 p.m. to help beat the heat and announced a partnership with Petco for pet owners worried about the high temperatures. New Yorkers can bring their pets to any Petco in the city to take advantage of the air conditioning, de Blasio said.

More information about cooling services can be found here.

This week is not the first time New Yorkers have faced the threat of a mass power outage given extreme weather this year, and likely won't be the last, the mayor noted.

Earlier this summer, New York City was able to stave off an outage after a similar call to scale back electricity amid a heat wave.

"This is not unfortunately something that tis going to be occasional," de Blasio said Thursday. "The climate crisis is bearing down on us."