Extreme heat has disrupted Fourth of July celebrations across parts of the US, including the cancellation of a parade in Washington, DC. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The Great American State Fair in the nation's capital, marking the country's 250th birthday, was also temporarily shuttered after multiple people were treated for heat-related illnesses. More than 165 million people were sweltering on Friday under record temperatures along the US East Coast and Midwest, according to the US National Weather Service.
The heatwave is disrupting the holiday weekend as President Donald Trump hosts a celebration marking America's 250th birthday and multiple World Cup matches take place outdoors.
The 4 July holiday is traditionally characterised by lots of outdoors activities - barbecues in yards and on rooftops, community parades and fireworks at night. But multiple events commemorating the American holiday and the country's 250th birthday were cancelled due to the blistering heat, from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland to as far west as Colorado.
Among the cancelled events on Friday was Philadelphia's Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade, which was slated to be one of the biggest events across the US. "As much as this decision pains everyone inside our organisation, we simply cannot host an event of this size and scale under these dangerous heat conditions," Michael DelBene, the CEO of parade organiser Wawa Welcome America, said in a statement to the BBC.
In Washington, an Independence Day morning parade was cancelled "after extensive and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff as the top priority," organisers said. The intense heat also led to the closure of the fair on the National Mall for several hours on Friday; the fair reopened at 17:00 local time after conditions improved.
The DC Fire and EMS Department treated several people for "heat-related illnesses" at the fair on Friday, a spokesperson told BBC News. At least 11 people were taken by ambulance from the fair. A spokesperson told the Washington Post: "It is going to be a very busy weekend. We know that there are going to be heat-related illnesses on and off the Mall, and we encourage our residents and visitors to take precautions if you're going to be out in the heat."
Robin Ardito, who attended the fair, said she saw a middle-aged woman who appeared to be suffering from a heat-related illness. The woman was being tended to by fair staff with both hands in buckets of ice. "It was too hot to be holding an event like this," she said.
Another event in Washington DC was impacted when US Capitol Police delayed public entry for Friday evening's outdoor A Capitol Fourth concert. Trump is expected to speak outside at a 4 July celebration on Saturday, saying: "I'm gonna make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything."
The extreme heat was expected to continue through the weekend, with temperatures in some areas not seen in decades. Philadelphia and Washington DC are expected to reach 104F (40C) and 103F, with the humidity making it feel like 112F and 111F, respectively, approaching their all-time record highs.