Washington: An extreme heatwave across much of the United States is bringing dangerous conditions to Washington for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, with concerns about revellers spending hours outdoors waiting for late-night fireworks.
President Donald Trump and the White House were already facing blowback from families over a fireworks display that is not due to begin until 10.30pm on Saturday night (Washington time) and could start as late as 11pm.
Gates for the official celebrations at the National Mall open at 1pm, with initial programming to commence at 5pm and Trump scheduled to speak at 9.45pm, directly before the fireworks.
The forecast maximum temperature for Saturday is 101 Fahrenheit – just over 38 degrees Celsius – and the National Mall offers little shade except on the sides of the strip. Thursday and Friday are due to hit 39 or 40 degrees, with humidity meaning it may feel as high as 43.
Trump, who turned 80 last month, appeared alert to the danger of the situation while speaking in North Dakota on Wednesday (US time), although not necessarily concerned.
“By the way, on July 4th, it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees [42 Celsius] out,” he said. “And I’m going to go make a really long speech, just to show that I can do anything.”
Brian Hurley, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service, said such prolonged heat could be “overwhelming” for people spending a long time outside.
“More people die from heat stroke than any weather related fatalities, at least in the United States,” he said. “The big concern is just being out with a lot of people in a lot of heat where the air is going to be very still.”
Jason Samenow, chief meteorologist at Capital Weather, said the combination of heat and humidity would be brutal, and possibly among the hottest days ever recorded in Washington.
“When you’re just standing there in the sun hour after hour, your body can’t cool itself down,” he said. “Even if you’re staying hydrated at a certain point, there’s only so much you can do when you are outside for that long.”
Hurley advised people, especially the elderly, to remain indoors as much as possible. But that is the opposite of what organisers hope people will do on July 4.
CNN reported there was growing angst in the White House about how many people will attend the celebrations in Washington, and that Trump was “infuriated” by the poor showing for his speech in the National Mall last week to open his Great American State Fair.
The White House did not directly answer this masthead’s questions about contingency plans for Saturday’s celebrations, and whether the programming could be condensed.
It advised standard contingency plans were in place to protect all patrons, including the president. Free water and refill stations would be available, as well as misting stations to walk through.
But security will be top level and attendees have been warned that no large backpacks, thermoses and tumblers, folding chairs or aerosol sunscreens will be permitted.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said this week that the district government had been informed the fireworks would not start until 11pm and may last up to 45 minutes.
“That’s a long, long day,” she said. “People really have to watch the heat, watch what they’re drinking, and get home as soon as the fireworks are over.”
Freedom250, a Trump-linked outfit established by the administration to effectively supersede America250, which was established by Congress, has promised “the largest fireworks display in [world] history”. It will comprise 850,000 fireworks shells launched from 10 sites.
The fireworks will follow a large-scale military flyover that Trump said would include his new Air Force One Boeing 747, acquired as a gift from Qatar, which made its debut on Wednesday.
In January last year, Trump moved his inauguration indoors from the National Mall due to cold temperatures forecast to reach -5 degrees Celsius.
The heatwave is affecting vast areas of the continental United States, from Boston to Chicago and Atlanta. Hurley, the meteorologist, said more than 142 million Americans were already under an extreme heat warning, with that number expected to grow by another 20 million.
Also affected is New York, where the mercury is forecast to reach 38 degrees on Friday for Taylor Swift’s wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden.
In a video, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said this could be “the most extreme heatwave this city has seen in over a decade”, and warned people to take precautions if they were celebrating July 4th, the World Cup, or “renting out MSG to get married, hypothetically”.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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