The United States is about to celebrate its 250th birthday, but as millions across the country prepare to gather this weekend for parades, concerts and festivals, an intense heat wave has settled over much of the eastern US.
Officials across the region are warning that the extreme heat could pose serious health risks over the Fourth of July weekend.
It has been 250 years since the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Unlike a typical Independence Day, this year’s celebrations are unfolding on a much bigger scale, capping years of preparation and planning.
Landing in the midst of a highly polarised moment in American politics, planning for the anniversary has also been contentious.
A decade ago, Congress tasked a bipartisan commission known as America250 with organising the celebrations.
But last year, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to put his own “Freedom 250” planning committee in charge of many of the anniversary’s marquee events, including the Great American State Fair on the National Mall.
Initially, a variety of musicians were announced as performers for the fair, including country singer Martina McBride, the soul group The Commodores and the pop duo Milli Vanilli. But many withdrew in late May and early June over concerns over the fair’s affiliation with Trump.
Last week, in lieu of the performers, the US president delivered a speech to open the fair, billing himself as the “Number One Attraction anywhere in the World”.
He has also promised to mark the July 4 holiday in Washington, DC, with “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all”.
Some celebrations are already being disrupted, with organisers forced to adapt to extreme heat.
On Friday, the Great American State Fair temporarily closed as temperatures reached over 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Washington, DC.
But the capital was not the only area affected by the extreme heat.
In Philadelphia, for example, officials announced that the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade was cancelled, after initially planning to shorten the route to mitigate heat-related risks.
A celebration in Pennsylvania’s Lower Windsor Township was also rescheduled for July 8, while in nearby Norristown, officials cancelled another parade, citing safety concerns.
The heat is also affecting transportation. Amtrak announced several train cancellations in the northeast region and warned that other trains could face delays due to high temperatures, which can affect railway infrastructure.
“Extreme heat can cause rail, bridge and overhead wires to expand,” it said in a statement on Thursday. “As a precaution, Amtrak may enact heat restrictions, which can require locomotive engineers to operate trains at lower speeds, resulting in potential delays.”
