5 strange facts about the great Northeastern heat wave

As the Northeast suffers in the broiling heat, the locals are cooking tuna steaks on the sidewalk and cooling down with "bloodcicles." A round-up of coincidences, ironies, and oddities...

The Northeast U.S. isn't the only part of the world feeling the heat: In Qingdao, China, temperatures soared to 95 degrees.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Americans in the Northeast are enduring one of the worst July heatwaves in a decade. Tuesday's temperatures topped 100 degrees from Massachusetts to Virginia, and demand for air conditioning pushed energy grids along the Eastern seaboard to the brink of failure. New Yorkers saw temperatures rise to 103 in Central Park, just three degrees below the city's all-time high, while in Washington D.C., the president tersely counseled sweltering reporters to "hydrate." With the heat expected to last through Thursday, it's dominating the conversation. Five of the strangest talking points:

1. The hottest place in the country...New Jersey

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us