HARLEM — As temperatures soared above 90 degrees on Day 3 of the city's heat wave on Tuesday, New Yorkers sought solace from the sauna anywhere they could.
Central Park reached a high of 93 degrees Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, after two straight days of temperatures in the 90s.
The heat is expected to break Wednesday, as the mercury only gets up to 76 degrees.
Mary O’Riordan, 56, of The Bronx, said her family has to "tough it out" without any air conditioning — leaving her 10-year-old son to rely on a fan to keep cool.
“It’s unpleasant, but when we grew up we had no air conditioning,” O'Riordan said as she and her son sweltered in the heat in Central Park Tuesday afternoon. “Our big thing is should [the fan] be rotating or in one spot?"
According to the New York City Department of Health, nearly 80 percent of NYC residents who have suffered heat stroke did so due to a lack of air conditioners.
Still, that wasn't enough to deter New Yorkers who flocked to the park to sunbathe, ride bikes and jog in the hot weather Tuesday.
“Some sun is healthy,” said pastor Ron Sullivan, 51, of Harlem, who was out for a jog just before noon Tuesday.
“I figured if I get my run done before when the sun is at its worst I can get the benefits without having to suffer the most.”
Lisa Pammet, 64, a caregiver for the elderly, said she often worries about families without air conditioning who live in high-rise buildings with windows that are difficult to open.
“You’re cooked,” said Pammet of Harlem, who regularly exercises in Central Park.
“If you have pets or they’re old people and they need to be left alone, open the windows as high as possible and use fans.”
Nicole Brown, 24, of Harlem, said the hot weather is ideal for escaping to the outdoors.
“I just found out the community pool isn’t open which is kind of a bummer,” said Brown, as she sunbathed in a floral bikini on the park’s grass. “It’s nice to be in the grass and feel like you’re in nature. You forget that you’re in New York — until you walk back out.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the percent of New Yorkers who have suffered heat stroke.
