Triple-digit heat is expected to hit New York City by Thursday, with some areas forecast to reach 102 degrees and nighttime heat indexes staying near 90 through Friday.
About 600 cooling centers are being activated, and 15 nurse-staffed outreach vans are being sent out to conduct wellness checks, provide medical care and transport vulnerable people.
The heat plan draws on lessons from a winter blizzard and cold snap five months ago that killed more than two dozen people and drew criticism of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's response.
City officials said tactics tested during a later February snowstorm — earlier deployment and taking services directly to at-risk residents — shaped this week's effort, after that storm recorded no deaths.