Jun. 17—FRESH New London’s Administrative Director Seanice Austin on Monday walked past the rows of strawberries, beans and squash at the group’s community garden that are slated to receive a little extra attention in the coming days.
“We’ll water more deeply and irrigate in the early morning and later in the day when the plants are less stressed,” Austin said. “If you’re prepping the beds right, the crops are going to do well, whether it’s hot or not.”
Meanwhile, Norwich Technical High School announced it was moving its 4 p.m. graduation ceremony on Thursday to 8 a.m. to avoid the heat.
The first heat wave of the season will begin blasting 90-degree and higher temperatures onto portions of the state on Wednesday, though Tuesday, with its predicted high of 89 degrees, isn’t expected to be much cooler.
Wednesday will see the mercury rise to 91 in Norwich, with temperatures expected to hit 93 on Thursday and 97 in the city on Friday. Shoreline towns can expect slightly cooler temperatures, though they will still peak in the mid-90s on Friday.
“Parts of the state will see a heat wave, but not towns like Groton, New London and Stonington, where it’ll be in the mid-80s,” said Gary Lessor, chief meteorologist at Western Connecticut State University, adding Norwich and areas farther north will bear the brunt of the heat.
Lessor said residents shouldn’t expect any relief for a while with the mercury expected to stay in the mid- and upper-80s into next week.
Connecticut’s inaugural heat wave of 2024, defined as three or more days of consecutive 90-degree or higher temperatures, comes about two weeks earlier than last year’s first wave.
The state’s extreme hot weather protocol will be in effect from noon Tuesday through noon Sunday. The protocol, while enacted, sets up a system where state agencies, municipalities and others coordinate with United Way’s 211 system to ensure information regarding cooling centers is available statewide.
The state protocol activation is expected to be followed by towns and cities opening designated buildings — town halls, libraries, senior centers and other areas — as cooling shelters.
But not everyone has the luxury of avoiding the sun, including municipal employees working outdoors. While Wednesday is a paid day off for many local city and town workers for the Juneteeth holiday, it’s business as usual the rest of the week.
Patrick McLaughlin, head of Norwich’s public works department, said his crews will report to work an hour early on Thursday and Friday.
“That will get them done by 2 p.m.,” he said. “And we’ll be encouraging everyone to drink lots of water and take in electrolytes.”
Eversource officials said the company is prepared to meet the increased demand that comes with hotter temperatures, including the remote re-routing of power and outage response.
Health experts recommend residents hunker down in air-conditioned buildings; wear lightweight, light-colored clothing; stay hydrated; and avoid high-sugar and alcoholic beverages.
Pets should be kept indoors with ready access to water and shade and residents are encouraged to check on their neighbors.
Flowers, fruits and vegetables need a little extra care, too, said Austin, whose group oversees several community gardens in the city.
When hot weather hits, volunteers conduct extra checks of the plants already poking up from layers of mulch and soil.
Local cooling centers
Groton
Thrive 55+ Active Living Center, 102 Newtown Road; the Town Hall annex, 134 Groton Long Point Road; and Town Hall, 45 Fort Hill Road, will be open regular hours as cooling centers this week.
New London
The Adult Reading Room at the Public Library of New London, 63 Huntington St., will be designated as a cooling center and will be open during regular library hours: Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m; Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Senior Center, 10 Brainard St., will also be available as a cooling center on Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and if necessary, the city will consider expanding those hours during the weekend.
Norwich
The Rose Center Senior Center, 8 Mahan Drive, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week. The St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen, 120 Cliff St., will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday.
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