Extreme heat wave in its final stretch and could fuel storms during July 4 celebrations

Source: CNN Weather

Updated Jul 4, 2026, 7:13 AM ET
PUBLISHED Jul 4, 2026, 5:00 AM ET


America’s 250th birthday also marks the final stretch of one of the most intense eastern US heat waves in years — one made worse by climate change — and it could fuel an added storm threat as the nation gathers to celebrate.

Dangerous heat is on the guest list at every Fourth of July celebration in the region, with high temperatures in the 90s and low 100s forecast from New England into the Southeast. Saturday will likely be the third day in a row of triple-digit temperatures for major metros like Philadelphia and Washington, DC. At least 22 locations broke or tied daily temperature records Thursday and 17 more fell Friday. Here are some headlines from the heat wave:

• Heat-related illness and death: A 68-year old man died after trimming bushes on July 2 in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, where high temperatures passed 100 degrees, the Berks County Coroner’s Office told CNN. The cause of death was a heart attack from strain “due to heat exhaustion,” the office said. Meanwhile, the CDC reported “extremely high rates of heat-related illness” in regions across the Northeast on Thursday.

• Events canceled or delayed: The July Fourth parade set for Saturday morning in Washington, DC, was canceled due to extreme heat in the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair is opening two hours late at 12 p.m.

• NYC power outages: Thousands of customers in the New York metro area were without power Friday and Saturday morning, according to local utility Con Edison. Some of the outages were shutdowns to prevent extended outages. Voltage reductions were also happening earlier in the day in parts of Staten Island, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Westchester, Con Edison spokesperson Jamie McShane told CNN.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/04/weather/heat-wave-dc-philadelphia-forecast-climate