Smoke made it hard to see the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor as the U.S. entered Independence Day weekend.
New York wasn’t the only state dealing with oppressive weather conditions. Canadian wildfires are causing the smoke that also blankets skies in Chicago, Ill., and other cities. Further South, extreme heat threatens lives and power grids.
“Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to continue impacting portions of the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. over the next few days,” said the National Weather Service Friday. “However, air quality is expected to slowly improve due to a combination of thunderstorm activity and dispersion of the smoke as we head into the weekend.”
According to the service, there were alerts over parts of the Midwest, Great Lakes, central Appalachians, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Friday. As of Friday afternoon, IQAir rankings showed that New York City had the second most polluted air in the world and AirNow.gov’s air quality map of the U.S. showed particularly dangerous air quality in the Northeastern U.S.
At the same time, excessive heat warnings were issued across California, the desert Southwest and through the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley. Already, many areas have seen record-setting temperatures this week.
The hottest temperatures into the triple-digits are forecast to reach the northern-most locations in Missouri today while more oppressive humidity will continue farther south closer to the Gulf Coast,” said the NWS Friday. “As the cooler air reaches into the central Plains through the next couple of days, heat will begin to build further up along the West Coast and then reach into the northern Plains by Sunday.”
By Saturday, interior valleys of central and northern California will see afternoon temperatures up to the 100s to near 110 degrees at the hottest locations, said the NWS. Temperatures in the 110s are also expected in the desert areas of the Southwest.
“These temperatures will increase the risk of heat-related illnesses in these areas by this weekend,” the NWS added. Safety tips are available on its website and through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Severe thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain are also expected in the central Plains to the Ohio Valley for the next couple of days over the holiday weekend.
Even as many areas of the nation are experiencing extreme weather conditions, it doesn’t appear that Americans are taking a break from July 4 celebrations. AAA said that travel this weekend is expected to break records, with an estimated 50.7 million Americans set to travel 50 miles or more from home this Independence Day weekend, increasing by 2.1 million compared to last year and more than 1 million more than the previous 49 million record set in 2019.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.”
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