Medical examiners continue investigating as temperatures push toward 105 degrees and heat index values could reach 108 by midweek.

At least 29 people have succumbed to heat-related illness across New Jersey since late June. Medical examiners are still conducting investigations into those deaths, while another Extreme Heat Watch takes effect Wednesday morning. Heat index values could reach 105 degrees by that afternoon.

State Health Commissioner Raynard E. Washington said most victims were discovered where air conditioning was absent, while a few were found outside on the street or in parked cars. North and Central Jersey saw the most deaths, and the victims ranged from their mid-thirties to their eighties. Washington said a heat wave last year killed only six people in New Jersey. "That just speaks to the severity of the current heat wave," he said.

The state Department of Health warns that extreme heat endangers older adults and infants, people who lack air conditioning, outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness and those with chronic health conditions. Most of those who died this July were discovered inside houses with no air conditioning, rather than outside, medical examiner records show.  Outdoor laborers like construction workers, roofers and farm crews — many of whom cannot afford to miss hourly wages — face some of the highest occupational risks anywhere in the state.

New Jersey's homeless population faces a particular risk. The population has risen 8% since 2024, with many unsheltered individuals staying in tents, vacant buildings, or other locations not meant for human habitation.

Connie Mercer, CEO of the NJ Coalition to End Homelessness, said roughly twelve of the dead had no housing or were sleeping in cars. "Really we had a mass casualty event," she said. "Quality shelter in a variety of forms would make sure that not too many people died horrible deaths out in the sun."

Forecasters posted the Extreme Heat Watch before dawn on Monday for Mercer, Camden, Gloucester and northwestern Burlington County, warning that heat index values could climb to 108 degrees. The watch expanded at 2:45 p.m. to Somerset, Middlesex, western Monmouth, Ocean and southeastern Burlington, where heat index values could reach 106. The remaining New Jersey forecast zones all fall under a Heat Advisory from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, while the watch itself runs from Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening.

Wednesday will be the hottest day of the stretch, the National Weather Service said in its afternoon advisory. Highs Tuesday should range from the upper 80s to the mid 90s, with humidity moderate enough to keep conditions below advisory levels. But temperatures should push well into the 90s Wednesday as humidity climbs, driving heat index values toward 105 or beyond. The temperatures could break records set in 1995: Atlantic City Airport at 100 degrees, Trenton at 101 and Philadelphia at 103. 

The extreme heat should break after one day, with Thursday and Friday staying dry before possible showers and thunderstorms on Saturday.

On July 3, emergency rooms diagnosed 132 people with heat-related illness, a daily count not seen in years. More than 350 people sought emergency care for heat-related problems from July 2 to July 6, according to state data. 

Severe heat came alongside severe storms

The severe heat earlier this month came alongside storms that knocked out power for nearly 300,000 customers across central and northern New Jersey over the July 3 weekend. By July 5, crews had restored approximately 230,000 accounts, leaving about 67,000 without service. As of July 6, 62,000 homes and businesses statewide still lacked electricity according to WHYY. Crews have since continued working to bring the numbers down.

Over the July 4 weekend, storm damage suspended the Morris and Essex, Gladstone Branch, Raritan Valley and North Jersey Coast Lines, with service largely restored by the following week. NJ Transit cross-honored rail tickets on existing bus and PATH services, while warning that extreme heat could force reduced speeds across the system. Wednesday's watch raises a similar risk.

Governor points to NJ211, Lawmakers push for legislation

Governor Mikie Sherrill posted on X at 4:05 p.m. on July 12, warning that the state faces another week of heat and humidity, with the worst conditions arriving Wednesday. She urged residents to limit outdoor activities, stay hydrated and find cooling centers through NJ211 or by calling 2-1-1. The post directed residents to NJ211's statewide directory, which lists cooling centers in all 21 counties but showed no special heat-wave activation schedules beyond regular hours as of Monday afternoon.

Senator Joe Cryan of Union County called the death toll "a staggering figure for one of the wealthiest states in the nation." In a USA TODAY Network op-ed published July 10, Cryan noted that FIFA mandated water breaks for World Cup players in New Jersey this summer while roughly 700,000 workers in the state labor without similar legal protections.

"Unlike the professional athletes playing in the World Cup, the people working outside all day have nothing in the law to protect them," he wrote. "Extreme heat is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous and least regulated workplace hazards in the country."

Cryan called for lawmakers to pass the Occupational Heat-Related Illness and Injury Prevention Program, often called the Heat Standard, which would require employers to provide water, shade and rest breaks once heat crosses set thresholds, as well as covering workers who cannot escape the heat. He cited California, Oregon, Minnesota and New York City as jurisdictions that already have such safeguards.

Senator John McKeon (D, 27th District) mentioned the extreme heat and severe storms as evidence for stalled climate legislation he sponsors. He cited the heat wave earlier in the week and the storms that hit the state, "leaving whole towns underwater" and cutting power to hundreds of thousands. "These are stark reminders that climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is already here, and it is a crisis that we must address today," McKeon said.

A dry cold front should pass late Wednesday, knocking temperatures from the 90s into the upper 80s, though the warmth is expected to persist through the week. Thursday and Friday should stay dry before showers and thunderstorms may return Saturday, with a risk of severe storms and heavy rainfall. By Sunday, temperatures could drop into the mid-80s. Rutgers climatologist John Krasting told The New York Times that the two July heat emergencies are connected. "Our changing climate," he said, "is changing the likelihood of extreme events like this."

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Sources

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