While millions of people sweat out the heat wave, blocks of lake ice keep these campers cool

SQUAM LAKE, N.H. (AP) — As New England baked in a heat wave Thursday, guests at a campground kept their food and beer cold with blocks of ice harvested from a frozen lake months earlier.

And while some relief is expected in the eastern Great Lakes region and New England starting Friday, the National Weather Service said scorching temperatures will linger in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region, even rising in places like California and Arizona, where they could eclipse 100 degrees (almost 38 degrees Celsius).

On Squam Lake in central New Hampshire, microwave-sized blocks of ice that had been packed in sawdust since winter were removed from an insulated storage hut. It’s been a tradition at the rustic Rockywold Deephaven Camps for over a century, with fresh ice cream remaining available all summer and into the fall.

Angela Wilcox, who has vacationed at the camp for 16 years, went boating with her children and nephews on Thursday in search of the lake’s coldest swimming spot.

“This is the hottest on record, especially in June,” Wilcox said. “We are quite shocked.”

Heat index readings that combine temperature and humidity were expected to exceed 100 degrees (37.7 C) in many locations across the country, potentially setting a record, the weather service said, and because record temperatures overnight would cause natural cooling could occur, heat hazard could arise. building indoors.

“Those without access to reliable air conditioning are urged to find a way to cool down,” the agency said in its forecast.

In a study published Thursday, a group of scientists said human-induced climate change has dramatically increased the likelihood of experiencing the deadly heat that is ravaging the southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America this month. Last year, the US recorded the most heat waves – abnormally warm weather that lasted more than two days – since 1936.

Ocean waters are also warmer, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, where the season’s first storm, Alberto, brought heavy rains and flash flooding along a stretch of coast from Mexico to Louisiana. This year’s hurricane season is predicted to be one of the most active in recent memory.

It’s made for an unusually early start to the summer extremes in the northeastern US

It was already almost 90 degrees (32.2 degrees Celsius) in New Hampshire when John Dupont opened his corn stand during Concord’s 50th annual Market Days Festival. He and his daughter set up two fans and were prepared to hang ice-cold towels around their necks.

“This year is a bit challenging because of all the heat. Our boiler maxes out at 150,000 BTUs,” he said.

At Johnson’s Dairy Bar in Northwood, Camryn Hildredth tried to offer customers an empty dish for that heartbreaking moment when a scoop of rapidly melting ice cream falls from the cone, but not everyone would listen.

“Everyone asks if we have air conditioning. We don’t,” she said. “It’s very hot and we have long lines, so it can get very rough at times.”

In Burlington, Vermont, Jack Hurlbut said he had never been so hot in his life. “I live in Vermont for a reason, you know what I mean?” the 28-year-old said.

Hurlbut, who is homeless, sat with others in a shady spot on a lawn outside the public library, which served as a cooling center.

New York state parks had free admission Thursday, and select state pools and beaches opened early for swimming, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. New York City’s beaches were available, and while public pools won’t open until next week, the city is maintaining a list of hundreds of free, air-conditioned locations.

“The humidity is pretty crazy,” said Anne-Laure Bonhomme, a health coach who was visiting New York with her family.

Many New Jersey school districts have moved to early dismissals as the school year draws to a close, and at least two have rescheduled their high school graduation ceremonies due to concerns about excessive heat and humidity.

With much of Indiana sweltering, highway crews are starting their shifts at 6 a.m., two hours earlier than in cooler seasons, and taking more frequent breaks in air-conditioned trucks between filling potholes and other roadwork , said Kyleigh Cramer, a spokesperson for the Indiana. Ministry of Transport.

“They can get in those trucks and cool off right away because being on the road is different than being in the office,” Cramer said.

Some relief is coming: A cold front will move into areas near Lake Michigan later Thursday and Friday, the weather service said. Chicago broke a 1957 record on Monday, June 17, with a high of 97 degrees (36.1 C).

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Ramer reported from Northwood, NH Associated Press writers from across the country contributed including Lisa Rathke, Kathy McCormack, Rick Callahan and Bruce Shipkowski. Follow AP’s weather coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/weather