Cooler air is sweeping southward in the eastern half of the country, bringing down some temperatures by 15 or more degrees from Saturday's highs, which was 38°C in cities including Philadelphia , Washington, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Louisville, Kentucky. For many areas, the cooler temperatures were ushered in by thunderstorms that knocked out power to thousands. In New Jersey, a line of strong, fast-moving storms knocked out power to nearly 70,000 on Saturday.
The heat also is blamed for more than 30 deaths across the country. A 4-month-old girl died and a 16-month-old girl was hospitalized on Saturday in separate incidents in suburban Indianapolis when both were found trapped in cars during near record 40.5° C heat.
If people ventured outside to do anything, they did it early. But even then, the heat was stifling. "It was baking on the 18th green," said golfer Zeb Rogerson, who teed off at 6 am at an Alexandria, Virginia , golf course but was sweltering by the end of his round.
Micah Straight, 36, brought his three daughters to dance in jets of water spurting from a "spray ground" near Philadelphia's Logan Square fountain to cool off.
"We got here early, because I don't think we'll be out this afternoon — we'll be in the air conditioning," he said. "So I wanted to get them out, get some sunshine, get tired."
In South Bend, Indiana, serious kayakers took to the East Race Waterway, a 1,900-foot long manmade whitewater course near downtown.
"A lot of times I'll roll over just to cool off," said Robert Henry of Carmel, just north of Indianapolis. "The biggest challenge is walking coming back up carrying a kayak three-eighths of a mile in this heat." In Manhattan, customers who stepped in to see "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" at an IFC movie theater were there for more than entertainment.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
