NYC Officially In Heat Wave As Temperatures Climb Across Tri-State Area

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City was officially in a heat wave Monday as temperatures soared into the 90s for the third straight day in a row.

By noon, Central Park hit 93 degrees. The forecast calls for temperatures to climb to around 95 degrees on Monday, but the humidity will make it feel like more in the upper 90s.

CHECK: Forecast | Summer Safety Tips

"I really hate it," Bronx resident Ramon Perez said. "Because I don't like the summer."

There have already been nine days this summer where temperatures hit at least 90 degrees, but there were not three of those 90-degree days in a row, so it couldn't officially be called a heat wave, CBS2's Elise Finch reported.

The last official heat wave in New York City was in July of 2013.

For those looking to beat the heat, the sun has been unrelenting, especially at the beach.

"Ridiculously hot," one beach goer in Ocean Township told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.

"I hate heat," said another.

If you're heading to the park, be aware that surface temperatures on playgrounds and fields can spike.

"These fields, on a day like today, are heading up to upwards of 165 degrees," said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates.

Doctors say humidity is the most dangerous part of the heat.

"When you have high humidity you can't sweat effectively and sweating is how we cool our bodies," Dr. Robert Glatter said. "So our body temperatures, our core temperature rises."

Dr. Glatter is an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, says dehydrated people fill the emergency rooms on days like this one.

Glatter, along with other doctors, say limiting your exposure to this kind of heat is critical.

"Keeping ourselves nice and cool in an air-conditioned space as well as keeping very well hydrated," said Dr. Shefali Trivedi with Mount Sinai.

It's easy to get dehydrated or suffer from heat exhaustion and end up at the hospital. Some symptoms include headaches, sweating, fatigue and nausea.

"If you're working out, running, really moving about you can consider a sports or energy drink," Dr. Glatter said. "In general they're not really necessary unless you're working out in an intense fashion for more than about an hour."

Doctors also recommend wearing loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to keep cool.

Other hot weather safety tips include:

- Stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible.

- If you do go outside, stay in the shade.

- If your home is not air-conditioned, spend at least two hours daily at an air-conditioned mall, library or other public place.

- Never leave children or pets alone in the car.

- Avoid exertion during the hottest part of the day.

- Be a good neighbor and check on elderly and people with disabilities in your community who may need assistance keeping cool.

On Long Island, cooling centers have been opened across Nassau County to help residents deal with the hot weather.

"The combination of heat and humidity can become unbearable and dangerous for many of our residents," Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said in a statement. "I encourage residents to take precautions and visit one of our many cooling centers if they need relief from the heat."

Upper West Side resident John Healy says he'll gladly follow doctor's orders to endure heat wave because he waited a long time for it.

"Every time I start complaining about the heat I think about how cold I was all winter and miserable it was," Healy said. "I think I'll take the heat -- it's all good."

For a full list of cooling centers, click here.

Finch says isolated showers and thunderstorms will lower temperatures a bit over the next few days -- but only by a few degrees.