(Bloomberg) -- New York and the rest of the US Northeast are about to get seared by a record-breaking heat wave that will boost electricity demand, raise health risks and potentially be a headache for commuters.

Manhattan’s Central Park is set to reach 98F (37C) by Friday, the National Weather Service said. The worst of the heat will spread through the Midwest, upstate New York and New England this week before descending on New York City and Washington. A heat advisory will likely be posted Thursday and temperatures may feel closer to 99 by then, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference. 

“The first heat wave of the season is here and we are ready,” Adams said. “This is extremely hot for June, with climate change leading to more frequent and intense heat. Summers are different than they were before.”

While summer doesn’t officially start until Thursday, across the US more than 120 daily high temperature records may be broken or tied, with the majority of them in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, the US Weather Prediction Center said. The humidity will make conditions feel hotter, driving up power demand as people crank up air conditioners.

Over the weekend, New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents the looming heat wave was “no joke” in a post on X. Heat is the number one weather-related cause of death, she said. It can also warp railroad tracks and slow down commutes in the large eastern cities that rely on trains to move people. 

The most intense heat will likely be across New England, said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center. The high in Concord, New Hampshire, may reach 101F on Thursday. Scorching weather will also spread into Canada, with Montreal hitting 93F and Toronto 91F, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

A large high-pressure system is building over the eastern US and that will trap the heat over the area, allowing it to intensify, Oravec said. While the sizzling conditions will ease over New England later in the week, New York and Washington will likely stay hot through the weekend.

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“It is going to be the story of the week,” Oravec said. The heat is “pretty expansive, it gets anchored and doesn’t move for the entire week.”

--With assistance from Laura Nahmias.

(Updates with Mayor Adams’ comments starting in second paragraph.)

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