The calendar may say spring but the temperatures in the East definitely say summer.
Heat advisories were posted Monday from the Carolinas to Connecticut, with temperatures expected to hit 100 from Georgia to New York, the National Weather Service said.
In New Jersey, a fire Monday knocked out a utility station and power to about 75,000 customers.
In New York City, fans showed their approval when a cloud moved in front of the sun during the fifth inning of the Yankees-Royals baseball game. They booed moments later when the sun returned.
“It’s just crazy. ... It’s really, really hot,” said New York City street worker Jessica Pena as she swept a midtown Manhattan street at around 8:15 a.m. The temperature already was in the upper 80s.
New York City opened 300 cooling centers Monday, said Office of Emergency Management spokesman Chris Gilbride.
Now in its third day, the heat wave led to power cuts and subway disruptions over the weekend.
About 17,000 customers in and around New York City were blacked out by thunderstorms that struck late Sunday and the rising demand for electricity to run air conditions, utilities said Monday. A subway system power outage disrupted some morning rush hour service.
The heat and humidity were also oppressive in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Schools in parts of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland closed early as class rooms heated up.
District of Columbia officials declared Monday and Tuesday Code Red days for poor air quality.
The heat has also been wearing down tourists in Washington, D.C. A woman outside an art museum said, ”We’re going to get back on the Metro and go to the hotel and get into the pool.”
In the Ohio Valley, a high of 93 was forecast in Cincinnati.
Parts of Massachusetts will break 90 for the third straight day.
The high Sunday at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina was 101, topping the record of 100 set just the day before.
Forecasters think the heat wave should break by mid-week.