Heat in Pennsylvania, May 19 to 21, 1996

The first and for many locations the only heat wave of the season occurred during the end of May. For many locations this heat wave contained the hottest temperatures of the year. One heat related death occurred within Philadelphia. A 74-year-old man died on the 21st. He was found dead in the parking lot at JFK Memorial Hospital. He was running the car's defroster instead of the air conditioner. Four other heat related illnesses were reported in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. In the Lehigh Valley, the Saucon Valley school districts dismissed the children at noon. In Whitehall Township, Glenside and MacArthur Roads buckled. In Montgomery County, the Blue Route (Interstate 476) buckled as did United States Route 422 west of Pennsylvania State Route 363. The excessive heat caused the Pennsylvania New Jersey Interconnection Association (PMJ) of 10 Mid Atlantic Utilities to institute a 5 percent cutback in power usage. Demand was about 33 percent above normal. The hottest day was the 20th when records were either tied or set at the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley International Airports. Hottest temperatures during this heat wave included 98F at Crum Creek, 97F at Green Land and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, 96F at Easton, Hamburg, New Hope, Reading and the Willow Grove NAS, 94F at East Stroudsburg and 92F at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.