Santos Tejeda cools off at Georgetown Waterfront Park in D.C. on Tuesday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
A blistering heat wave has smothered the Washington region, claiming seven lives and forcing elected officials to cancel public events, close down athletic fields and encourage residents to stay indoors.
Heat indexes have surpassed 100 degrees over a string of consecutive days this week, prompting the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for the region on three straight days.
The heat is predicted to ease somewhat Thursday and Friday before ramping back up over the weekend and next week, setting up another uncomfortable stretch for the region’s second-hottest start to the summer on record, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
In the Washington region, the concern running under the steady drumbeat of public warnings and proclamations is that this week’s weather will probably result in more heat-related illness and potential deaths. “We are encouraging residents to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activities as much as possible,” Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) said Friday. “It is also important to check on your family members, friends and neighbors, especially senior citizens, families with young children, people with special needs, or individuals living alone during periods of extreme heat.”
Of the six reported deaths in Maryland due to heat-related illness, four of the victims were in Prince George’s, according to the Maryland Health Department’s weekly Heat-Related Illness Surveillance Report. Two of the deceased were between 45 and 64 years old, while two were older than 65.
The two additional deaths were from Anne Arundel and Baltimore City. According to Maryland’s data, nine people died because of heat in 2023.
Next door in Montgomery, Maryland’s most populated county, officials said county-run libraries, swimming pools, recreation centers and senior centers would remain open during normal operating hours to serve as places to cool off during the day.
The county’s Department of Transportation will also provide free bottled water on some buses for customers using the Ride On, ExtRa, Flex and Flash bus systems. Homeless shelters will also remain open at all hours. On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health confirmed that there had been one recent heat-related death but had no further details. Christian Martinez, a spokesman for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), said the governor is monitoring the situation statewide.
“Governor Youngkin continues to engage across multiple secretariats and state agencies actively collaborating with our federal and local partners to assess conditions and provide guidance to Virginians, enabling local governments and families to implement appropriate measures to ensure the safety of Virginians across the Commonwealth,” Martinez said in a written statement. Virginia is bracing for the long-term aftershocks of the heat. Last month, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a drought warning for the Northern Virginia region — including the counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Fairfax — as well as for seven counties in the Shenandoah region. The warning means that a significant heat-related drought is “imminent,” according to the advisory.
The Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force found that stream flows were at or below 25 percent of normal levels in every region of the state, while groundwater levels were declining in the northern, central and eastern regions. Water levels at monitoring wells were extremely low — below 5 percent of normal — in Northern Virginia, Shenandoah, Roanoke, the New River in Southwest and the York-James River area of the Peninsula.
Reservoir levels were normal, but the department said it was working on drought response plans with officials around the state. The announcement encouraged residents to “protect water supplies by minimizing water use, monitoring drought conditions and detecting and repairing leaks.”
In the District, which is hosting leaders from around the globe for the NATO summit, police are already working extended 12-hour shifts through the end of this week to maintain road closures and security measures tied to the summit.
D.C. police spokesman Tom Lynch says the heat has not caused the department to cancel any events or change its posture.
“We are taking great care to get water and cooling opportunities to our officers, particularly those standing on posts surrounding the [NATO] summit. But other than that, our stance remains steady,” Lynch wrote in a text message. Emma Uber, Jenny Gathright, Jordan Brown, Lateshia Beachum, Jasmine Hilton, Katie Shepherd and Gregory S. Schneider contributed to this report.
