A child pours cold water on the body at a summer camp in Plano, Texas, the United States, on June 27, 2023. (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua)
Dangerous heat waves will stay in the West and the South, while severe storms charge across the central Plains and poor air quality continues to plague states in the Midwest, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic region, according to weather forecasts.
LOS ANGELES, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States is embracing wild weather conditions on the Independence Day weekend, as much of the country is experiencing scortching heat, severe storms and dense smoke.
Dangerous heat waves will stay in the West and the South, while severe storms charge across the central Plains and poor air quality continues to plague states in the Midwest, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic region, according to weather forecasts.
Weather throughout the extended holiday weekend will be hot, humid and could lead to storm development for several locations across the country, according to an update of the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) on Friday.
Excessive heat will also be present from the Desert Southwest into interior California and the interior Northwest.
Well above-average temperatures will develop across the upper Midwest by the July 4th holiday, according to the NWS.
Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms could also disrupt Independence Day celebrations on Monday and Tuesday in the northern Plains, Southeast, Northeast and along the Rockies.
"A slow-moving storm system will cross the country this weekend into early next week (of July 3), resulting in chances for severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall for a number of cities," said the NWS.
A pedestrian wearing a face mask is seen with the U.S. Capitol building shrouded in haze in the background in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 29, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)
Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to impact air quality in vast regions in the United States and may make it more difficult to see fireworks on July 4th.
Over 120 million people across more than a dozen U.S. states from the Midwest to the East Coast were under air quality alerts as of Thursday, as Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record.
Hundreds of blazes rage across Canada with more than 250 burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Washington, D.C., Chicago and Detroit were among the cities with the worst air quality in the world on Thursday, according to IQ Air's Air Quality Index.
Some improvement in air quality is expected by Sunday and Monday in the U.S. Midwest and along the East Coast, according to the NWS. However, forecasters expect wildfire smoke to return by Independence Day as winds from the north are expected to move the smoke into the northern tier and northeastern parts of the country. ■
