Over two dozen deaths are being blamed on the extreme heat that’s been gripping half of the nation. Over 150-million Americans across the Eastern U.S. were subjected to record-setting heat on the Fourth of July, with heat alerts issued from the Midwest to the Deep South and to the Northeast.
In Washington DC, National Guard members were seen rendering aid to heat victims attending the America 250 festivities.
The extreme heat helped create massive thunderstorms later in the evening, causing gusty winds, large hail and power outages. Many fireworks displays had to be postponed until after the thunderstorms.