In both West Philadelphia and Center City, area residents have had to brace against a four-day spike in the mercury, with temperatures regularly reaching above 90 degrees.
Philadelphia officials responded to the rise in temperatures by trying to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable, namely the young, the elderly and the disabled.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health sent health inspectors to 130 different personal-care boarding homes in order to ensure that elderly residents were properly cared for in the high temperatures.
Similarly, city care workers roamed the streets looking for homeless people in order to ensure that they too were safe from the heat.
Despite officials' best efforts, this particular heat wave has already claimed the lives of two Philadelphia area residents.
A 23-year old Montgomery County man affected with cerebral palsy was mistakenly left in his family's van all day and died from the excessive heat.
Another person, a woman in Northeast Philadelphia, died in her home on Princeton Avenue due to heat stress and lung disease.
These two deaths now make three heat-related fatalities in the Philadelphia area, with the first occurring last month.
Amid tragedy and sweltering heat, the city's young people have taken matters into their own hands in trying to beat the heat.
In whatever ways possible, Philadelphia residents are being drawn to swimming pools, cold showers and other forms of cool refreshment.
Brothers Jeremy, Cody and Jason all came out to swim at the fountain at Love Park in order to get out of the sun and into the spray of water in the heart of Center City.
"There was a shooting at the pool yesterday, so we just came here," said the boys' mother, who declined to be named for this article. And although Philadelphians are doing anything to escape the heat, sometimes their best efforts are stymied by the city itself.
The boys' mother said, "The cops just made us get out [of the fountain] or else they'd start giving out $25 tickets."
Here at Penn, students have been relying on the comfort of air conditioning.
"Usually, I turn the air conditioning on right before I go to sleep, and I turn it off before I leave for work," said College junior Laura Paine. "But even then, I sometimes feel like lying around and being lethargic."
Penn students have also had to alter their daily habits in order to avoid going outside in the midday sun.
"Before, if I needed to get something in Center City, I'd just walk there, but now, I just take the subway," said College senior Lena Makaroun. "My friends and I are pretty cranky about it."
Although a cold front recently moved into the area and temperatures have dropped into the high 80s, the memory of this heat wave will serve as a constant reminder of the need to stay cool this summer.
John Waynes, a cyclist and Philadelphia native, frequently bikes to Manayunk and recently stopped by Love Park on his way back.
"By the time I get back, especially on a day like this, [LOVE Park] is a great way to keep cool," Waynes said.
The last serious heat wave to strike Philadelphia took place in July 1993, during which Philadelphia medical examiners attributed 118 deaths to high temperatures and humidity.
Staff writer Brittany Binler contributed to this report.
