NEW YORK _ Hot, hot, hot summer day as NYC bakes in 90-plus temperatures, with forecasters predicting no immediate relief.
The summer's first heat wave descended Saturday on a sweat-soaked city where New Yorkers kept their cool by splashing in sprinklers or sitting in air conditioning.
The temperature hit 91 degrees before noon in Central Park, with the high mark threatening to reach 100 degrees for the first time in the city since July 18, 2012. The Sunday forecast promised no relief, with a high of 96 expected and hardly any breeze.
For both days, the heat index _ a combination of temperature and humidity _ was expected to climb as high as 107 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Brooklyn parents and kids braved the sweltering weather at American Park in Greenpoint, where youngsters frolicked through the sprinklers.
"We thought we needed to get out of the house and go to the park," said mom Julia Howe, 38, as her 2-year-old played nearby. "It's our saving grace in the city."
Chanel Davis, 35, and her 7-month-old son Cameron drove up Friday night from Delaware to avoid traveling to Brooklyn in the day's heat.
"We have a cooler, a lot of water, a lot of rags," said Davis, who came north to watch her husband play in a local basketball tournament. Mother and child were enjoying the sprinklers like everyone else.
"He loves the water!" said Davis, hoisting Cameron into the cooling spray.
Despite concerns expressed by Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, the demand for cool air to beat the heat caused no problems with the electrical grid early Saturday. Consolidated Edison reported only a handful of power outages by noon as the temperatures climbed.
The National Weather Service's excessive heat warning remained in effect through 8 p.m. on Sunday, when showers and thunderstorms were expected to bring some much-needed relief. But temperatures on Monday were predicted to approach 90 degrees again.
In Bergen County, jail officials relocated some 400 Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees to new quarters after a pair of air conditioners failed Friday night in the heat. Officials promised random checks of the jail's climate to make sure everything was working properly.
Advocates for the detainees complained that the air conditioners actually went out weeks ago, but officials waited until the last minute to provide livable quarters.
"They knew the heat wave was coming, and it still took intense community pressure to get the sheriff to move inmates," said Sara Cullinane, director of Make The Road New Jersey.
