BOSTON (AP) – The first official weekend of summer brought a scorcher to New England, with temperatures climbing well into the 90s.
Boston reached a high of 95 degrees Saturday – the hottest the city has been since August 18, 2002 – and cracked the 90-degree mark again on Sunday. Saturday’s high fell short of the record for June 25 of 97 degrees, set in 1943.
In Maine, Saturday’s high temperature of 94 degrees in Portland tied the record for the date set in 1943, the National Weather Service said.
Residents sought relief at community pools, area lakes and beaches. In Boston, city officials extended hours at some neighborhood pools to allow kids to keep cool.
Temperatures are expected to remain hot and humid the rest of the week, but a cold front moving in from Canada should offer some modest relief, said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reprted unhealthy air quality Saturday in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, southern Vermont and coastal Maine due to high levels of ground-level ozone.
On Sunday, Boston’s air quality remained at unhealthy levels, which can cause breathing problems and aggravate asthma. The EPA said people in affected areas should limit their strenuous outdoor activity.
The government’s advisory, however, didn’t stop Sean Cantwell, 28, of Cambridge, from taking his daily run.
The Harvard Business School student usually runs five miles a day, but Sunday’s stifling heat prompted him to cut his run in half.
“As long as you’re in the shade it’s OK,” Cantwell said emerging from a store in Harvard Square with a cold drink. “When you’re out in the open, it’s pretty rough.”
The Dickson Bros. hardware store in Harvard Square got a truckload of air conditioners on Friday. By Sunday morning, they were almost sold out.
Dennis Brennan, the store’s manager, said he saw a steady stream of students buying small units to cool off their apartments.
“The fans are going fast, too,” he added.
AP-ES-06-26-05 1338EDT
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.