An unusually hot spell is heralding the start of summer along much of the Eastern Seaboard, with temperatures headed toward the high 90s.
Heat advisories are up this afternoon for wide swaths of northern New England, with the National Weather Service saying the heat index has already hit 97 in Springfield Vermont. Communities are warning residents to take steps where they can to stay out of the sun and in air conditioning, and urging them to check on elderly neighbors and pets.
At an outdoor graduation ceremony at a New Jersey high school, police say several relatives of graduates were treated for heat exhaustion. In dozens of cities, public cooling centers have been set up for those without air conditioning.