Scorching temperatures caused Philadelphia public schools to suspend classes this week, while dozens of schools in the Baltimore area issued sweeping closures amid the blistering heat wave currently blanketing the Northeast. More than 35 million people have been put on a heat advisory. But as of this June, eighteen schools in Baltimore, which was just two years ago rocked by a 25-day stretch of 90°F weather, breaking a 150-year record for the city, still do not have air conditioning, while as many as twelve have air conditioning that doesn't work.
But despite the frequency with which these hot spells arrive, the city's school system remains loath to adjust. It's a state of affairs that causes routine headaches for parents, some of whom might not have the bandwidth to take care of their kids during school hours. Disruptive as school closures might be, they are just one of the many ways that extreme heat – and its precipitous rise – are expected to take a cataclysmic toll on urban life in America.
