Try the subways for a slight respite from the heat

As temperatures in the city climb toward the upper 90s for the second day in a row, New Yorkers are searching in vain for some relief from the heat. We huddle in air conditioned apartments and offices, hoping that the Con Ed power grid will hold up as the city’s streets remain empty. Of course, to get from one air conditioned site to another often requires a ride in the subway, and during heat waves, the temperatures below ground can spike. Take comfort though, in a Wall Street Journal investigative report: It’s actually cooler underground than it is above ground.

Armed with a store-bought thermometer, Joy Resmovits hit the streets. At Grand Central, enjoying air-controlled platforms, the temperatures were just 86.5 degrees while above ground the mercury hit 96. As temperatures reached 102 during the afternoon, the Times Square platforms registered at a downright chilly 99 degrees. But at 116th St., the differences were just a matter of one degree. Cooler they may be, the platforms are not comfortable.

Of course, this temporary equilibrium will last only as long as the heat wave does. Once outside temperatures drop to the high 80s, the platforms will remain stifling as heat generated by the subway’s air conditioners stays trapped underground. I’d rather have cooler train cars than not, but it doesn’t make waiting on intolerably hot platforms any easier during the dog days of a New York City summer.