TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A dangerous heat wave is spreading from the US Midwest to the East Coast as the country is gearing up for the "Fourth of July" weekend—the busiest holiday in the United States.
As the risks for record-breaking temperatures are rising, local authorities are responding by opening cooling centers, adjusting public events, and expanding emergency services as large crowds gather for fireworks, festivals, and Independence Day celebrations.
Nearly 160 million Americans are affected by the scorching heat dome phenomenon that has affected 30 states through this weekend, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The heat wave is triggered by a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps hot air over an area for several days. High humidity also increases health risks by making it more difficult for the human body to cool itself through sweating.
In New York City, officials opened outdoor water misting stations and deployed mobile cooling vehicles to provide water, sunscreen, and health screenings.
"These are extremely dangerous conditions," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press briefing, as quoted from Xinhua.
Temperatures in the city are expected to exceed 37.78 degrees Celsius through Friday, with the heat index expected to reach even higher levels. According to New York City data, heat causes an average of about 500 premature deaths in the city each summer.
Extreme heat in Philadelphia forced a celebration for Pope Leo XIV at the National Constitution Center scheduled for Friday to be moved indoors. Philadelphia also reduced the hours of a World Cup fan festival ahead of Paraguay's match against France on Saturday.
Washington, D.C., issued an extreme heat warning through Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of visitors were expected to attend Independence Day holiday events in the US capital. Saturday's temperature is forecast to reach 38.33 degrees Celsius, surpassing Washington, D.C.'s record high temperature for that date, which was 100 degrees Fahrenheit, set in 1919.
Many other areas, including Boston in Massachusetts and Raleigh in North Carolina, are also opening cooling centers and expanding public health resources.
The heat wave comes as the western US faces an increased risk of wildfires. Dry weather conditions and strong winds have fueled wildfires in Utah and southern Colorado.
About 2 million people were under fire warnings on Monday, June 29, in the Four Corners states, which includes Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, as well as parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, NBC News reported.
Dozens of large fires are still burning across the US, burning more than 234,700 hectares of land, the US National Interagency Coordination Center said.
Read: Fact Check: Did Europe's Heat Wave Melt Traffic Lights?
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