Another day, another record-breaking temperature: after it hit 104 on Friday, there was yet another record-high temperature on Saturday when it hit 100 in Central Park around 2 p.m., breaking the old record of 99 set in 1991 (Newark also set a record high of 102 yesterday), and today there's another heat advisory. Which means there's only one way to truly celebrate this sustained feeling of being enveloped inside a thick fuzzy blanket: fire hydrants (and water fountains)! There is literally a rainbow shooting out of one! So click through the pictures above, and take-in the sights of people enjoying a good old fashioned baptism-by-hydrant. more ›

It's so oppressive outside, we're trying to do whatever we can to take out minds off of the hot breath of mother nature—and anyway, we already covered some of our favorite summer songs previously. So instead, we turned our wandering minds toward songs to help us cool down...or at least, help us focus on things such as ice cream, Ice-lands and thin ice. Click through to hear tracks from The Rolling Stones, Sutton Foster, Van Halen, The Velvet Underground and more. Note: requisite "Ice Ice Baby" video below. more ›

Suffice to say, it is like standing behind an idling car's exhaust when you walk down the street during this heatwave. But while most New Yorkers seem to be taking the extremely uncomfortable temperatures in stride, they have not had as much patience with major MTA delays: one Gothamist writer waited for nearly an hour for the C yesterday, "though about 10 A trains stopped during that time. The deer thermometer said it was 100 degrees!" Another tweeted a similar tale: "110° over crowded Howard Beach Subway platform, for over 50 minutes while six A trains arrive for the wrong direction. Well done MTA." more ›

Another "excessive heat warning" is in effect for today from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with temperatures expected to pass 100 again following yesterday's record-breaking 104 degree misery. However, the sizzling spell should be briefly broken late tonight, when thunderstorms arrive and temperatures plummet to a breezy 85. But if you can make it through the whole day without taking your pants off to try to cool down, more power to you! more ›

Look, we're all shvitzing right now, but it's still not socially acceptable to just take off all your clothes and rollick around the subway naked...although that's kind of what one young lady did last night. A reader tell us that a woman de-pantsed three times last night on the D train, pulling up her pants every time she thought security might be coming—as one woman said to her, "yeah, that's really smart young lady." The reader caught her the third time on video, which you can see below (NSFW: butt shot). The best part though? The young man who walks on the train and obliviously sits down, sees her, then promptly walks away. Ahh, this is what summer fridays were made for: more ›

Good News for your commute home. We went down to the York Street subway platform this afternoon with our trusty deer thermometer and discovered it's about 18 degrees cooler down there than it is on the open air sidewalks of New York. The thermometer showed a reading of 108 degrees on Jay Street in Brooklyn, and just 90 degrees underground. This shocking turn of events comes just days after we complained about it being around 90 degrees on the subway platform, when it was a chill 88 outside. Perspective! more ›

Yesterday it was over 90 degrees on the subway platforms (and on some subway cars!), and now we're on the cusp of a 100-degree day. Since the MTA isn't going to help us keep cool, let's find another solution—click through for what to do, and what not to do this summer while you're waiting on the train. more ›

The heat, as expected, keeps coming down on us. Today the National Weather Service says we've got excessive heat warnings, excessive heat watches, air quality alerts and a hazardous weather outlook! These days a walk outside is a vista of sweat-stained heaving bodies dodging A/C exhaust and rushing to take shelter in the shade. It is almost enough to make you wish for another blizzard! In the meantime, if you want to sound knowledgable when complaining about the weather (which is not expected to break until Saturday night) your watchword is: "heat dome." more ›

Sometimes heat waves don't quite deliver that overwhelming yearning to melt to your own death on their own, which is where the MTA steps in. Have you entered a non-air conditioned subway car lately? If not, may we direct you to the C line—where we personally have not run into an air-conditioned car all week (we can only imagine what's happening right now on the Franklin Ave. shuttle). We contacted the MTA this morning to find out if they could flip on the cool down switch, and spokesman Kevin Ortiz told us: more ›

The heat wave is not letting up, and the city is opening the cooling centers. The Office of Emergency Management says, "Air-conditioned City cooling centers will be open Wednesday as temperatures remain in the 90s. With the heat index expected to climb above 100 later in the week, OEM reminds New Yorkers to take precautions. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. When in the sun, wear sunscreen and a hat to protect your face and head. Remember to check on family and friends as heat can affect people differently. Seniors, young children, and people taking certain medications have a higher risk of heat-related illnesses." more ›

According to Crain's, Mayor Bloomberg was talking about this infernal heat earlier today, and he sees the scalding, steaming glass as half full. True, most New Yorkers who are not lizards will find the high temperatures this week to be unpleasantly BRUTAL. But Bloomberg reportedly looked on the bright (like, "surface of the sun" bright) side and said, "So far, Con Ed has not screwed up." The "so far" qualification is worth noting, because remember last summer? We don't either, but thankfully the Internet does. more ›

Well, our forecast for the weekend was a bit off. Instead of the upper 80s the mercury reached at least 90 degrees both days. Central Park is now up to five 90 degree days this month. Get ready for more as that number could double in the next week as a heat wave spreads across the country. Still, we're no Oklahoma City, where today will be the 48th consecutive 90 degree day and 28th day over 100 degrees this year. more ›

With temperatures rising, relief can only be found in one form: dessert. But forget Mr. Softee and his chalky-tasting soft serve—New York has a veritable treasure trove of unusual icy treats, five of which we've done the arduous task of tasting for you. more ›

It's below freezing out, and the Snowtorious B.I.G. has already visited us twice, and our garbage has been piling up, and half-frozen dogs are being found on our bridges, and Christmas tree recycling has been canceled due to so much of this white stuff, and where are the plows, and the subways? Snow snow snow snow snow. So maybe it's a good time to reflect on last summer, when it was hot, and humid, and we had about a thousand heatwaves, and the garbage may have been picked up from the curb quickly, but its stench grew and grew, and stayed lingering in the air for months. In case this weather has been giving you the SADs, just remember that soon enough we'll all be fighting for a spot under the fire hydrant. Now get out there and enjoy your free air conditioning. more ›