July 22, 2019
Philadelphia authorities confirmed at least one person has died due to the excessive heat that torched the region during the weekend.
Officials with the Philadelphia Department of Health said a 70-year-old man's death in West Philadelphia on Saturday was due to the hot weather. No other details were provided.
This is the city's first heat-related death of 2019. By comparison, during July 1993 in Philadelphia, the medical examiner's office determined 118 deaths were heat-related, the CDC reported. And officials in Chicago reported two heat-related deaths over the weekend, bringing that city's total to three for the year.
The National Weather Service had issued a heat advisory over the weekend due to high temperatures in the 90s and heat index temperatures that felt like 109 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Beginning last Wednesday, officials had declared a city-wide heat health emergency.
Libraries that double as cooling centers stayed open late, pool hours were extended, additional pet safety measures were taken by the city's Animal Care and Control Team and the Office of Homeless Services increased their outreached. On Friday, a retirement home in West Philly had to evacuate more than 250 people due to a partial power outage.
But it seems the heat wave will break early this week. On Monday, thunderstorms are expected to begin around 2 p.m. and continue into Tuesday. The National Weather Service had already issued a potential flash flood warning, as of Monday morning.
Temperatures will reach the mid- to high- 80s to finish out the week.
Follow Emily & PhillyVoice on Twitter @emily_rolen | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Add Emily’s RSS feed to your feed reader
Have a news tip? Let us know.
