http://wcbstv.com/national/June.Heat.Wave.2.743514.html

he Big Apple continues to bake under a heat wave. CBS 2's John Elliott said temperatures around the region were expected to tie the record high of 97, but humidity will make it feel between 100 and 105.

The heat is causing problems across the tri-state, including power outages and school closings.

More than 12,000 Long Island Power Authority customers were still without power Monday morning. Con Ed reported about 1,500 outages in Brooklyn. Some customers were also without power in Westchester County.

Because of the heat, all of the schools in Bloomfield are closed. Meanwhile schools in Clifton, Wayne, Bloomingdale, Ringwood, West Paterson, Little Falls, Passaic, Boonton, Englewood, Glen Rock, Lodi, New Milford and Wyckoff will dismiss their students early.

There were no delays reported at area airports early Monday morning.

Thunderstorms Sunday night tossed trees on train tracks, delayed airline flights for hours and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses.

One tree toppled across a car in a picnic area at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, sending two occupants to a hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries, regional state parks director George Gorman said Sunday.

Storms packing wind gusts estimated at up to 50 mph swirled through the area between about 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., leaving battered trees and other damage, especially on eastern Long Island. Suffolk County police said reports of downed trees and power lines cropped up across the area.

The storms uprooted or snapped as many as 150 of Bethpage State Park's trees and left limbs hanging from many more, forcing the closure of three of the park's five golf courses Monday, Gorman said. At Robert Moses State Park in Babylon, two lifeguard stands toppled and two storage sheds overturned, he said.

Five fallen trees cut off some service Sunday evening on the Long Island Rail Road, and lightning strikes scrambled signals and caused delays of up to an hour on other parts of the commuter line. Delays at John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports stretched to more than 2 hours, while the backup was more than 90 minutes at LaGuardia.

More than 24,000 Long Island Power Authority customers were without power late Sunday. Consolidated Edison reported about 1,900 outages in New York City and Westchester County. The bulk were in Brooklyn, where a series of smoking manholes also shut down some subway lines and caused major delays on others earlier in the day. The utility said it wasn't clear whether the manhole troubles were weather-related.

The utility said it could take until Monday night to restore power completely.

Sunday's high temperature in Central Park hit 93 degrees, just shy of the 95-degree record for the date, set in 1933.

Melanie Duncan, a visitor from Toronto, lounged under a tree in the park with two friends, eating ice cream and complaining about the heat.

"It's making us drink a lot more beer," Duncan said.

The weather didn't thin the crowds at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade, but a Fire Department spokesman said paramedics treated more marchers than usual for heat exhaustion.

New Yorkers found several ways to keep cool - fans, air conditioning, a pool, a pond, a dip at the beach.

Coney Island was packed, but those expecting to escape their furnace-like homes were dealt a shock. The heat is on even at the ocean's edge.

"It feels extremely hot," said Michelle Depra. "But we are still happy cause I got my whole family here."

So how do you stay cool at the beach? Lots of water. That's the trick," said Chimene Gonzalez. "Yes it is."

Another good idea would be slapping on sun block.

"I'm trying not to get melanoma later in life," said Mark Dvorak while applying sun block.

The heat wave should break by midweek, with high temperatures falling back into the 80s.

During a heat wave in late July and early August of 2006, 40 people died directly from heat stroke, and the sometimes triple-digit temperatures contributed to the deaths of another 60 people, city health officials said.