Dangerous heat blankets East Coast: When relief is coming

Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia could break heat records on Wednesday.

June 25, 2025, 4:28 PM

The first major heat wave of the summer will bring another day of dangerously high temperatures to the East Coast on Wednesday before relief moves in.

The oppressive heat shattered records across the Northeast on Tuesday.

Boston hit 102 degrees -- the city’s highest June temperature ever. Philadelphia broke a daily record with 101 degrees and New York City reached a daily record of 99 degrees.

In New York City, 112 people went to emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses on Tuesday, according to New York City Emergency Management.

People play soccer at a Brooklyn park at dusk at the end of the hottest day of the year so far on June 24, 2025 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

On Wednesday, more than 130 million Americans from Louisiana to Massachusetts remain under heat alerts.

Extreme heat warnings are in effect for a number of cities, including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Richmond, Virginia, Charleston, West Virginia, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Heat Risk - Wednesday Map
ABC Nes

Overall, the heat won't be as extreme as Monday and Tuesday, but Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia could still break records with highs close to 100 degrees.

The heat index -- what temperature it feels like with humidity -- is forecast to reach 99 degrees in New York City, 105 in Philadelphia, 108 in D.C. and Wilmington, 104 in Charleston, South Carolina, and 106 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Feels-Like Temperatures - Wednesday, 3PM Map
ABC News

Relief from the oppressive heat will arrive on Thursday.

By Thursday morning, the heat index will drop to 66 degrees in Boston and 72 degrees in New York City. But it’ll remain hot further south, with a heat index of 86 in Philadelphia and 90 in D.C.

Click here for what you need to know to stay safe in the heat.

People cool their feet in a water feature at the World War II Memorial, amid a dangerous heat wave, in Washington, June 24, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

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