National stand guard near the Washington Monument at the national mall, during an Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary on Saturday.
Rahmat Gul/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Rahmat Gul/AP
Washington’s National Independence Day Parade has been canceled, according to an announcement from organizers late Friday night.
The parade had been scheduled to mark the nation’s 250th birthday and begin at 10:30 a.m EST. Saturday.
Todd Marcocci, president of Under The Sun Productions, which was overseeing the parade, said the move followed consultation with the National Park Service, the D.C. city government and Freedom 250, the nonprofit overseeing the anniversary celebrations. “This decision was made after extensive and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff as the top priority,” he said.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an extreme heat warning for the D.C. area, in effect from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Saturday. The agency said heat index values, which combine temperature and humidity, are expected to reach between 110°F and 115°F, and warned that “heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events.”
The NWS said that alongside the high humidity, early morning low temperatures in the 70s and 80s would mean “little to no overnight relief.” The service also warned that “prolonged excessive heat may impact power, water, and transportation systems.” A separate Code Purple air quality alert — indicating “very unhealthy” — is also in effect for D.C. on Saturday.
The cancellation came hours after Washington recorded its hottest day in decades. Reagan National Airport hit 102°F on Friday afternoon, breaking a record of 101°F for that specific date, which had stood since 1966. Saturday’s temperatures are forecast to approach or match that figure, which would make it the hottest July Fourth on record for the city.
The parade cancellation affected participants who had traveled specifically for the event, including 80 students in the Grand Island Senior High marching band from Nebraska, who had been due to perform. Their school district confirmed to a local TV station Friday night the band would no longer participate.
The heat has already disrupted other celebratory events in the city. The Great American State Fair on the National Mall shut its doors for several hours Friday afternoon before reopening at 5 p.m. U.S. Capitol police also confirmed that entry to Friday night’s “A Capitol Fourth” concert was delayed.
Cancellations and disruptions extend nationwide
Multiple events in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, were impacted by the extreme temperatures. A Friday Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade was canceled, while a Saturday fireworks show was postponed until midnight.
People watch as the French Air Force acrobatic squad Patrouille de France perform a flyover during the International Aerial Review on Saturday in New York.
Sydney Schaefer/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Sydney Schaefer/AP
Many communities in Colorado, including Durango and Vale, have canceled their fireworks displays due to the risk of wildfires.
In Haddon Township, New Jersey, authorities canceled the Independence Day parade due to “oppressive heat and humidity” that was predicted. Parades in Leesburg and Fairfax, Virginia, and in Takoma Park and Laurel, Maryland, were also canceled because of the heat.
The heat wave extends well beyond the capital region. Around 120 million Americans across a swathe of the eastern and southern U.S. are facing some form of major or extreme heat risk on Saturday, according to the NWS’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
The backdrop to all of this is an anniversary for which the Trump administration has spent months preparing. In a proclamation issued Friday from Mount Rushmore, President Trump marked the semiquincentennial by invoking the Founders, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and Valley Forge.
Runners in patriotic-colored tutus participate in a run on Independence Day in Huntington Beach, Calif. on Saturday.
Jae C. Hong/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jae C. Hong/AP
He also outlined a series of future ambitions — returning Americans to the Moon, reaching Mars, and leading in artificial intelligence. The administration organized tonight’s National Mall celebrations under the Freedom 250 banner, drawing criticism from Democrats.
Saturday’s fireworks display, billed by the White House as the largest in the country’s history, remains scheduled and is set to begin at 10:30 p.m. from the Washington Monument grounds, after a presidential speech that Trump promised would be “really long.”
However the NWS also warned of the possibility of “severe thunderstorms” into the afternoon and evening, that could produce “destructive wind gusts up to 70 to 80 mph.”
This story originally appeared on NPR
