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Humidity Makes It Feel Like 100 Degrees But Relief Is Coming: Forecasters

 Boys cool off in water sprayed from a fire hydrant in the Bronx.
Boys cool off in water sprayed from a fire hydrant in the Bronx.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY — Day five of a heat wave wilted the city on Monday and will likely oppress New Yorkers through Thursday, officials said.

The sweltering 90 degree temperatures that have had people sweating for the past four days will couple with high humidity and poor air quality, making it feel like its in the low 100s, officials said.

"The concern for today is the heat on top of the humidity," according to David Stark of the National Weather Service, which issued a heat advisory from noon to 8 p.m. Monday.

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Monday's humidity will peak at about 67 percent and some thunderstorms could swing through the area in the later afternoon to early evening, officials said.

 Workers started the last week in July sweating through the fifth day of heat wave, with humidity making it feel in the low 100s. 
Monday Heat Wave
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The state also said pollutants in the air have sparked an air quality alert that spans from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

But Tuesday could bring some relief, even with the mercury expected to climb to 95 degrees, Stark said.

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"Tomorrow, it's still going to be hot, but we're looking at less in terms of humidity," he said.

"It won't feel as bad. The heat index values will be closer to the temperature," Stark added.

Cobble Hill resident Luke Thorp, 35, decided to just ignore the muggy weather and jog from his apartment to Valentino Pier in Red Hook. 

Luke Thorp

"I really like to sweat; it's therapeutic," he said. "[The heat] is a bit uncomfortable, but I think with the extremes we live with in New York, if you're going to complain about a season you should only complain about one because otherwise you're complaining all the time."The jogger added with a laugh that he will "moan all winter" but "shut up in the summer." 

The low humidity could continue Wednesday, but then swing upward approaching the weekend, the NWS said.

"We could see an uptick as we get later in the week so it could start to get uncomfortable," Stark added.

But the high pressure system over the central United States should ease some over the weekend, causing temperatures to drop back into the 80s and end the first heat wave of 2016.

"It looks like there's going to be some relief coming this weekend," Stark said.

Amid the rising heat, a power outage hit about 1,100 uptown residents over the weekend, most of whom were in Harlem, said ConEd spokesman Alfonso Quiroz.

The outage was caused by a manhole fire Saturday night and crews worked overnight to repair the equipment, Quiroz said.

Power in the area was restored in the area around Monday morning. 

However, as of Monday afternoon, there were about two dozen outages affecting close to 200 customers in other areas across the city, according to the company’s online outage map, which fluctuates throughout the day. 

“That’s normal for a blue-sky day,” Quiroz said.

Quiroz said the company reduced voltage in areas such as Riverdale to by as much as 8 percent over the weekend while crews worked to repair equipment.

The company also asked residents to reduce power usage, which he said is common because equipment could overheat and potentially catch fire, so crews work to cool the equipment down.

“Once we make repairs everything will be alright,” he said.

Cooling centers will also remain open through Tuesday. New Yorkers can call 311 or check the city's online cooling center finder at www.nyc.gov/beattheheat

Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito warned that the hot weather could be especially dangerous for seniors and people with chronic medical conditions. 

“Stay indoors when you can, use air conditioning or visit a cooling center, and drink lots of water,” Esposito said in a statement.