A record heat

“It ain't the heat, it's the humility.”

—Yogi Berra

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

UNLIKE in the Philippines where it is exceptionally hot due to its tropical, equatorial location, temperatures in New York City have been climbing even if it is springtime.

Weather in the Big Apple was expected to have record-breaking heat for this time of year, which is a big switch-up from the brutal winter experienced in recent months.

While it ensures consistent year-round solar radiation and high humidity for Filipinos, New York City's balmy weather proved to be record-breaking for the date of April 15. In Central Park, the high was 90 degrees, besting the previous record of 87 from 1941.

March to May in the Philippines, however, marks the dry season, featuring clear skies and low wind, further intensifying heat. Urbanization, particularly the urban heat island effect in cities like Metro Manila, exacerbates this.

Both the Philippine and the United States experience tropical climates, with the Philippines generally being hotter on average.

 

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This week's heat in NYC broke records set decades ago for this time of year. On Wednesday, temperatures reached up to 88 degrees, with the potential to break the daily record high of 87 degrees in 1941, according to AccuWeather.

Elsewhere across the Tri-State Area, towns and cities such as Newark and Islip also broke records, coming in at 90 and 81 respectively.

Heading into the overnight hours, Central Park was expected to break another record, but this time for a record high low temperature. The warmest low on record for April 16 is 69 degrees, set in 2002, and we are forecasting a low of 68.

Regionwide, low temperatures will only drop into the mid and upper 60s, which is higher than our average daily highs this time of year.

Just like Tuesday and Wednesday, a storm chance was expected, but it came very late on Thursday night.

Sadly, the 80 degrees plus weather won't follow New Yorkers into the weekend, according to USA Today.

Saturday, April 18: High of 67 degrees, low of 58 degrees; cloudy

Sunday, April 19: High of 68 degrees, low of 41 degrees; cloudy with possible showers

The monthly historical average for New York City is a high of 60 degrees with a low of 42 degrees, according to the Weather Channel.

 

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STRATEGY. In addition to talking to our youngsters about the dangers of cigarettes, encourage them to play team sports and watch tobacco-free flicks. It could keep them from lighting up, according to a recent study. Nonetheless ages 9 to 14 were twice as likely as sporty kids to become smokers later in life, and all kids who watched movies showing heavy smoking were about 20% more likely to get addicted.

HAPPINESS DRINK. A study involving more than 1,000 Japanese people age 70 or over found that those who drank at least four cups of green tea a day enjoyed better moods than those drinking a cup or less. The uplifting ingredient is theanine, the researchers believe.

'THEY CHANGED THE WORLD'. Oprah Winfrey, "Queen of all media," topped the list of "125 Women Who Changed Our World". No. 2 Hillary Clinton 3. Mother Teresa 4. Rosa Parks 5. Eleanor Roosevelt 6. Michelle Obama 7. Amelia Earhart 8. Princess Diana 9. Marie Curie

When we remember God's faithfulness His ability to bring good out of any situation, we find our fears calmed and our confidence renewed.

Whatever our hopes today, let's not be afraid. Let us just stand where we are  and watch the Lord strengthen and take care of us.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)