Oppressive heat broils US during World Cup, July Fourth

WASHINGTON - Blistering temperatures and humidity gripped swaths of the United States on July 1, with the worst yet to come for the densely populated East Coast as the nation co-hosts the World Cup and prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday.

“Heat dome” conditions – in which high-pressure systems trap warm air like the lid on a pot – persisted over the Midwest and South and were moving east, with some 46 million people under heat alerts.

“We are entering what could be the most extreme heat wave this city has seen in over a decade,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a video, adding he wanted people to stay safe while watching the World Cup, celebrating the Fourth of July or – he joked – “renting out MSG to get married, hypothetically.”

Pop superstar Taylor Swift is rumoured to have rented Manhattan’s famed Madison Square Garden venue for her wedding to American football star Travis Kelce.

New York has designated hundreds of public buildings as cooling centres, extended public swimming pool hours, dispatched volunteers to check on vulnerable residents, and opened “pop up” cooling stations with misting fans and wet towels.

In the Midwestern city of Chicago, the energy grid was under “critical strain,” utility ComEd said as air conditioning usage surged.

“Raise your thermostat as high as is comfortably safe,” the company urged, while calling on residents to delay using laundry, dishwashers and electric vehicle chargers until after 8pm.

More frequent, longer-lasting and more intense heat waves are one of the clearest signs of climate change, with Europe also recently hard hit.

Global average surface temperatures have risen roughly 2.5F above pre-industrial averages as a result of human-caused climate change, mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

From July 2, the US capital Washington is forecast to have three consecutive days above 38 deg C – the highest on July 3, when the mercury could touch 40 deg C.

If the forecast bears out, the city’s daily heat records would be broken each day, while Washington’s all-time high temperature of 41 deg C could also be in danger.

The heat comes as the nation prepares to celebrate on July 4 the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain, with fireworks set to light up the skies over major cities, including New York and Washington.

Fireworks trigger spikes in harmful fine particulate matter that cause respiratory issues, with the combined effects of heat and smoke amplifying health impacts.

Jaden Martin, a 22-year-old who works in marketing and hails from the south-western state of Arizona, told AFP he was visiting the capital to accompany his girlfriend who was attending a mathematics conference.

“We’re good with the heat, but the humidity is a different beast,” he said as he wheeled his rental bicycle along a section of the National Mall crowded with tourists.

Teachers Cecile Hansen and Peter Helmkamp, who had travelled from Miami, Florida to attend the “Great American State Fair” recommended fans, sunblock, visors, and dipping into air conditioned cafes every 20 minutes.

“Drink lots of water and try to freeze a bottle of water before you come out,” added Hansen, 50, who was carrying a handheld electric fan.

Meanwhile, football’s World Cup is taking place under punishing conditions.

A high of 39 deg C is forecast for July 4’s clash between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia, where the game will be played in an open-air stadium, unlike some World Cup venues which are air-conditioned.

This edition of the World Cup requires players to take a three-minute “hydration break” every half. AFP