Environment & Energy

Record-breaking heat wave scorches Southeast US

By RUSS BYNUM and MIKE SCHNEIDER
Updated 7:09 PM EDT, July 29, 2025

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Residents in the Southeast U.S. are no strangers to heat in the summertime. But this week’s sweltering hot weather set at least one record and has forecasters urging residents to limit time outside on Tuesday if possible — and stay hydrated.

The all-time high temperature at Tampa International Airport was broken on Sunday when the thermometer hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius). The previous record had been 99 F (37.2 C) in June 2020.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday the prolonged heat is expected to peak in the Southeast at midweek. A strong upper ridge also was generating a “dangerous and prolonged” heat wave in the central and eastern sections of the country. An extreme heat warning was in effect through Wednesday night in New Jersey counties outside New York City, and the mercury hit an unseemly 97 F (36 C) in Manhattan.

No relief in the shade
In Savannah, Georgia, landscaper Darius Cowherd took a break Tuesday in the cab of his work truck after spending the morning mowing grass, trimming bushes and blowing leaves in Forsyth Park in the coastal city’s downtown historic district.

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