CONCORD, N.H. (AP) 鈥� 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
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.
鈥淎nywhere you go in southern New England, you will be dealing with dangerous heat today, tomorrow and Saturday,鈥� 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.
鈥淭he parade is one of our community鈥檚 most beloved traditions, and we share in the disappointment of its cancellation, especially as we celebrate America鈥檚 250th birthday,鈥� 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 鈥� high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and humidity 鈥� has been , 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.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e young, they can handle it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l just go up in the shade somewhere if I get hot.鈥�
Nearby a fife and drum corps marched up and down the lower concourse in full uniform.
鈥淯sually it鈥檚 wool regimental. But this is linen, it鈥檚 cool,鈥� said Debbie Mayes of Ewing, New Jersey, part of the Washington Crossing Fife and Drums. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fine. They鈥檝e been very kind to us, letting us take breaks and providing water.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 super hot,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing from Arkansas, we thought we could handle the heat, but it鈥檚 been very warm.鈥�
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.
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.
鈥淎ll of my animals have been doing a really great job of staying under the fan, staying near a sprinkler,鈥� zookeeper Brooke Cannon said as she offered Quinn frozen treats. 鈥淚鈥檓 running around with the hose hitting them a little bit there and there. Yeah, it鈥檚 not their favorite, but you know sometimes you got to do what you got to do to make sure that they鈥檙e not making poor choices.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t’s too hot in the summer and this is not the right time to come and visit zoo,鈥� Bhargavi Patha, who was with her husband and 14-month-old son, said as they headed to the lion enclosure. 鈥淭he heat is exhausting us. We are draining and we had to drink a lot of water to see all the animals.鈥�
Electric grids feel the stress
As bore down on New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people conserve energy by setting their 鈥� a step previous mayors, including former , have advised 鈥� in order to avoid stressing the power grid. Nevertheless, the request drew a round of jeers from the Democratic mayor鈥檚 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 鈥渦nexpected load challenges.鈥�
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who pokes at the mayor often on social media, responded on X 鈥淚s this what was meant by the warmth of collectivism?,鈥� spinning a phrase the democratic socialist employed in his inaugural address back at Mamdani.
The 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 鈥� and received 鈥� an order from the U.S. Department of Energy that allows utilities to force 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 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-Qu茅bec.
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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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