East Coast heat waves may stay away into late July

THE HOTTER-THAN-AVERAGE temperatures that have been plaguing the eastern U.S. and Canada may stay away for the next two weeks, according to Commodity Weather Group President Matt Rogers. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/GARY GARDINER
THE HOTTER-THAN-AVERAGE temperatures that have been plaguing the eastern U.S. and Canada may stay away for the next two weeks, according to Commodity Weather Group President Matt Rogers. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/GARY GARDINER

BOSTON – There probably won’t be another round of heat waves in the eastern U.S. and Canada for the next two weeks, keeping spikes in energy demand to a minimum, said Matt Rogers, president of Commodity Weather Group LLC.
The Northeast may see temperatures 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.7 Celsius) above normal from today until July 22, while most of the East stays seasonal, said Rogers, in Bethesda, Md.
The West may experience temperatures 3 to 5 degrees higher than normal. That heat may seep into the Midwest from July 18 to 22, he said.
“Outside of some semi-persistent heat in the interior West, the outlook for the rest of the U.S. and southern Canada continues to look variable enough to prevent any sustained strong heat patterns from dominating,” Rogers said.
High temperatures in the big cities of the East and Midwest can push up natural gas demand as more people turn to air conditioners to keep cool. Power plants will account for 32 percent of U.S. gas consumption this year, Energy Information Administration data show.
Yesterday’s high temperature in New York’s Central Park was 92, capping three days above 90, according to the National Weather Service in Upton, New York. Three days of 90 or higher is considered a heat wave by the weather service.
Consolidated Edison Co., which provides electricity to about 3 million customers in New York and Westchester County, saw an all-time high for Sunday electricity use yesterday at 6 p.m., according to a company statement. The region used 11,241 megawatts, breaking the old mark of 10,866 megawatts set on Aug. 14, 2005.
The normal average reading for July 22 in New York City is about 77 degrees, according to the weather service. In Boston, it’s 74; Washington, 80; Chicago, 74; Los Angeles, 79; and in Houston, 85.

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