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A blast of heat and humidity in the Midwest and Northeast days before the official start of summer put a wet blanket on outdoor activities from festivals to sports camps as officials urged people to\u00a0take precautions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cities that opened cooling centers this week advised that Wednesday\u2019s Juneteenth holiday means some public libraries, senior centers and pools where residents could beat the heat will be closed.<\/p>\n The\u00a0dangerous temperatures<\/a>\u00a0were expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Heat index readings were expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees (37.7 C to 40.5 C) in many locations.<\/p>\n People and even zoo animals were forced to find ways to thwart the muggy weather.<\/p>\n An organization that provides produce to areas with limited access to fresh food in Columbus, Ohio, prepared frozen towels and packed cold water for their workers.<\/p>\n \u201cHydration is the key,\u201d said Monique McCoy, market manager for the Local Matters Veggie Van.<\/p>\n In Toledo, Ohio, the city canceled a weekly fitness event and a neighboring suburb called off a street fair as temperatures reached the mid-90s (about 35 C). A food bank in upstate New York canceled deliveries for Wednesday out of concern for staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n Schools in New York canceled field trips Tuesday to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, where workers turned on water misters for visitors and the animals. Elephants and other animals were getting chunks of ice in their pools, said Ted Fox<\/a>, the zoo\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n \u201cEven the tigers love to lick the ice and put their heads on them when it\u2019s this warm,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n The blast of extreme temperatures came a little too early for many.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is hot for just moving in to summer, so I\u2019m hoping that we\u2019re going to see the downward trend in the temperature here soon because this is a warm one,\u201d said Krista Voltolini, who was selling produce at a farmer\u2019s market in Columbus.<\/p>\n A\u00a0recent study<\/a>\u00a0found that climate change is making heat waves move more slowly and affect more people for a longer time. Last year, the U.S. saw the\u00a0most heat waves<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days \u2014 since 1936.<\/p>\n Chicago broke a 1957 temperature record Monday with a high of 97 degrees (36.1 C). Wednesday will be another hot day, but a cold front will bring relief to areas near Lake Michigan on Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service in Chicago said.<\/p>\n That relief won\u2019t come in time for the closure of all but one cooling center in Chicago on the Juneteenth holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s extremely alarming that we are shrinking our cooling centers in the middle of a heat wave,\u201d state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe\u00a0told The Chicago Sun-Times<\/a>. LaPointe represents Chicago\u2019s Northwest Side and advocates for people who do not have permanent shelter and other vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n Officials have urged people to limit outdoor activities when possible and to check in with family members and neighbors who may be vulnerable to the heat.<\/p>\n In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul activated the National Guard to assist in any heat emergencies that develop over the next several days. She also said admission and parking fees at state parks, pools and beaches would be waived on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a time of significant risk, and we\u2019re doing our best to make sure that all lives are protected,\u201d Hochul said Tuesday.<\/p>\n In California,\u00a0wildfires erupted<\/a>\u00a0east of San Francisco in the state\u2019s historic Gold Country region and in the mountains of northern Los Angeles County after what had been a quiet start to fire season. Wildfires in southern New Mexico\u00a0damaged 500 buildings<\/a>\u00a0Tuesday in a mountain village of 7,000 people that had been evacuated with little time to spare.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture was bringing an increasing threat of heavy rain and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast. Hurricane season this year is forecast to be\u00a0among the most active<\/a>\u00a0in recent memory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n