Welcome to the concrete jungle.
Hot, humid weather and intense thunderstorms will make New York City feel like a Caribbean island through the end of the week — prompting the city to activate its emergency plan.
A heat advisory is in effect across the five boroughs from 11 a.m. on Thursday until 8 p.m. on Saturday, with extremely high humidity expected to push real-feel temperatures above 100 degrees, according to forecasters.
“Humidity today was about as high as it ever gets around here. It was very tropical. The humidity levels were similar to what we see in the Caribbean,” Senior AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson told The Post on Thursday.
“The daytime highs for the next several days we expect to be pretty close to 90 degrees. The big issue this time is definitely the humidity,” Thompson said. “Real feel temperatures will probably be maybe even a little above 100 degrees at times during the afternoon.”
The suffocating moisture in the air will create the perfect conditions for scattered heavy downpours and thunderstorms to slam the Big Apple late Friday, with a chance of showers lingering into Saturday afternoon.
Rainfall rates in any pop-up storm could exceed more than 2 inches per hour, causing flash flooding in poor drainage and low-lying area, according to the National Weather Service.
“The big concern with any of these storms late tomorrow and tomorrow evening is going to be the potential for some flooding downpours,” Thompson said.
By Sunday, New Yorkers can expect to feel some relief from the soupy conditions.
“As we get into Saturday, there still could be a thunderstorm in spots during the afternoon, but it does not look as widespread as tomorrow,” said Thompson.
“Heading towards Sunday, I think we’ll see a mostly dry day and humidity may even come down a little bit by the afternoon. So we might get at least some relief from the tropical conditions we’re experiencing right now,” he said.
New Yorkers should stay as hydrated as possible and limit time outdoors during the hottest parts of the afternoon, the meteorologist added.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Emergency Management activated the city’s heat and flash-flood emergency plans on Wednesday ahead of the expected dangerous weather.
Hundreds of cooling centers will open their doors across the five boroughs on Thursday and Friday, according to City Hall.
A “Code Red” will also be activated from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday to expand street outreach to homeless New Yorkers and connect them with shelter and cooling centers.
“High heat and severe storms are rolling into New York City, and the best thing we can do right now is prepare and look out for one another,” Mayor Mamdani said in a statement.
“If you don’t have air-conditioning, make a plan to spend time at a cooling center. If you live in a basement apartment or a neighborhood that has flooded before, know where you’ll go if water begins to rise,” Mamdani said.
“And if you have a neighbor who may need extra support, check in on them. City government is mobilizing every resource we have — from clearing catch basins and preparing emergency crews to sending COOL vans to check on older adults. Protecting New Yorkers means showing up before the storm, not just after it.”
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