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Is Mamdani’s 78 Degrees Too Much Collective Warmth?

11 0
02.07.2026

You may have noticed that there is a big nasty wave of heat overwhelming New York City right now, with temperatures potentially reaching triple-digits.

Central Park, NYC is at 96F as of 12pm. Out of all available data from 1950-present, Central Park reached >=96F by 12pm only 6 other times on record. All 6 days peaked at or above 100F in the afternoon.The last time Central Park reached 100F was 7/18/2012, almost 14 years ago. pic.twitter.com/p1IpK4H6Gh— Tomer Burg (@burgwx) July 2, 2026

Central Park, NYC is at 96F as of 12pm. Out of all available data from 1950-present, Central Park reached >=96F by 12pm only 6 other times on record. All 6 days peaked at or above 100F in the afternoon.The last time Central Park reached 100F was 7/18/2012, almost 14 years ago. pic.twitter.com/p1IpK4H6Gh

But the real heat dome, online, is about Mayor Zohran Mamdani asking New Yorkers to set their AC thermostats to 78 degrees to help protect the city’s overstressed power grid:

New York: it's hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you're not using, and unplug what you can.Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings,…— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2026

New York: it's hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you're not using, and unplug what you can.Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our........

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