Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central , said part of the reason is New Jersey has several urban areas like Trenton where concrete and asphalt absorb a lot of heat.
"That only takes what would've been a hot day, and then we top that with the temperatures that have become hotter because of climate change," Winkley said. "Then the last layer on top of that is the urban development."
"You have warmer sea surface temperatures [that] adds more humidity, more moisture to the air," Winkley said. "That makes that temperature come up, and it also helps to make it harder to cool down at night."
Winkley said the ultimate goal is to reduce carbon emissions in cars, homes and factories, but he said some short-term solutions include investing in more green space and planting more trees.
Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora is also looking at having enough interior places where people can keep cool.
"It's really important that we open our recreation centers, our libraries and our senior centers so that folks will have a respite and they can come and find a cool place," Gusciora said.
Jean Kelly, 91, spent the day inside the Sam Naples Community Center, which serves as Trenton's cooling center .
"It's beautiful," Kelly said. "I have air [conditioning] at home, but it's nice to come through, to have conversations with your friends, let the day go by and then you come back again."
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0