Finding freedom from the heat on July 4th will be a challenge in eastern
US
[July 03, 2026]
By HOLLY RAMER
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gaining freedom from the heat will be a challenge
for the eastern U.S. heading into the long Fourth of July weekend,
prompting some communities to cancel, postpone or otherwise alter their
Independence Day plans.
Dangerous, record-breaking heat will continue across much of the central
and eastern U.S. through Friday and will continue along the East Coast
through the weekend, the National Weather Service said Thursday.
Temperatures in the high 90s Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) were
forecast for the Northeast; New York and Boston both hit 100 degrees
Thursday. Humidity is expected to make it feel even hotter, all but
ensuring that sweat will dampen spirits at many celebrations marking 250
years of American independence.
“Anywhere you go in southern New England, you will be dealing with
dangerous heat today, tomorrow and Saturday,” said Bryce Williams, a
meteorologist with the weather service.
Heat wreaks havoc with event schedules
In Boston, entrance to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will start
at 4 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday because of the heat. In
Philadelphia, officials shortened the route of a Thursday morning
parade, canceled an afternoon all-American Block Party, and pushed back
the start times of an evening picnic and concert at Independence Mall.
In Lower Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, an America 250 celebration
including food trucks, games and the highway department's dump truck has
been rescheduled for July 8. In Norristown, Pennsylvania, officials
canceled a parade set for Saturday, citing the safety of residents,
participants and first responders, though evening fireworks and an
afternoon party featuring games, food, and music will go on as
scheduled.
“The parade is one of our community’s most beloved traditions, and we
share in the disappointment of its cancellation, especially as we
celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” Interim Municipal Administrator
Jayne Musonye said.
Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania moved outdoor events
indoors. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled some train routes due to the heat
Thursday, including the Acela between Boston and Washington, and said
others may operate with reduced speeds resulting in delays through
Saturday.
Baseball, Taylor Swift fans sweat it out
A heat dome — high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and
humidity — has been smothering parts of the U.S., from the Midwest to
the East Coast. Beyond the holiday festivities, officials in many
communities are taking steps to keep residents safe, including opening
cooling centers. In Boston, several air-conditioned museums are offering
free admission to city residents, and in Providence, Rhode Island, city
pools and waterparks have extended their hours.
The temperature was 98 degrees by the time the Philadelphia Phillies
started their home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
Sixteen pallets of water bottles were given out for free.
Bill Christy, 69, of Philadelphia, was walking with two teen charges
that he had brought along for company.
“They’re young, they can handle it,” he said. “I’ll just go up in the
shade somewhere if I get hot.”
Nearby a fife and drum corps marched up and down the lower concourse in
full uniform.
“Usually it’s wool regimental. But this is linen, it’s cool,” said
Debbie Mayes of Ewing, New Jersey, part of the Washington Crossing Fife
and Drums. “We’re fine. They’ve been very kind to us, letting us take
breaks and providing water.”
In New York, Amanda Powell, of Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the
Taylor Swift fans flocking to Madison Square Garden in hopes of seeing
the superstar singer before her Friday wedding.
“It’s super hot,” she said. “Being from Arkansas, we thought we could
handle the heat, but it’s been very warm.”
Central Park in Manhattan hit 100 degrees Thursday afternoon, marking
the first time the iconic park reached triple digits since 2012,
according to the National Weather Service.
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Ruth, 11, from Burke, Va., gets cold water poured on her head to
cool off at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall,
Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Zoo employees work to keep animals cool
At the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, workers offered up frozen blocks
ice with herring for the African penguins, frozen pellets to the
Nigerian dwarf goats and tossed frozen treats into the enclosure of
the Western lowland gorillas, who scramble to grab and gobble them
up.
“All of my animals have been doing a really great job of staying
under the fan, staying near a sprinkler,” zookeeper Brooke Cannon
said as she offered Quinn frozen treats. “I’m running around with
the hose hitting them a little bit there and there. Yeah, it’s not
their favorite, but you know sometimes you got to do what you got to
do to make sure that they’re not making poor choices.”
Despite the heat, the zoo had plenty of visitors - though many took
time to fan themselves or stand under misters to keep cool. Others
were second-guessing their decision to visit.
“It's too hot in the summer and this is not the right time to come
and visit zoo,” Bhargavi Patha, who was with her husband and
14-month-old son, said as they headed to the lion enclosure. “The
heat is exhausting us. We are draining and we had to drink a lot of
water to see all the animals.”
Electric grids feel the stress
As the heat bore down on New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people
conserve energy by setting their air conditionings to 78 degrees — a
step previous mayors, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have
advised — in order to avoid stressing the power grid. Nevertheless,
the request drew a round of jeers from the Democratic mayor’s
conservative critics online.
By early Thursday afternoon, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was asking
everyone in the state to turn air conditioners to 75 degrees (24
Celsius) or higher, avoid using appliances unnecessarily and
otherwise conserve electricity. Hochul, a Democrat, cited high
demand and “unexpected load challenges.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who pokes at the mayor often
on social media, responded on X “Is this what was meant by the
warmth of collectivism?,” spinning a phrase the democratic socialist
employed in his inaugural address back at Mamdani.
The explosive growth of data centers are adding stress to electric
grids, as operators in New York state, New England and the one
stretching across 13 mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states all
projected that electricity demand would peak on Thursday before
falling back slightly on Friday.
Operators had not issued emergency calls to reduce consumption as of
Thursday evening, as usage surged roughly 40% above a normal summer
day.
PJM Interconnection, which operates the grid that serves 65 million
people from New Jersey to Illinois, had projected that Thursday
would set an all-time high for summer electricity demand, but it
fell just short of 2006's record.
To prepare, PJM had sought — and received — an order from the U.S.
Department of Energy that allows utilities to force data centers and
other big energy users to disconnect from the grid and switch to
backup power sources, such as diesel generators, before carrying out
rolling blackouts to conserve energy.
A major new Canadian hydropower transmission line to New York City
had gone out of service Wednesday because of an equipment problem in
Canada, but the line was repaired and back in service by 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, according to operator Hydro-Québec.
____
Associated Press writers Daniel Gelston in Philadelphia, Jennifer
Peltz, Anthony Izaguirre and Ted Shaffrey in New York, Michael Casey
and Rodrique Ngowi in Boston and Marc Levy in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
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