Around 162 million people are under heat alerts as an exceptionally hot July Fourth week approaches and wildfires burn in the West.
Shaquille Brewster reported from Chicago on June 29, 2026, that brutal hot weather is stretching across more than half the country, with record-setting temperatures and humidity targeting millions from the Midwest to the East Coast, and that massive wildfires in Utah and Colorado are sparking thick plumes of smoke visible from miles away.
The heat is expected to ramp up through the week, with temperatures soaring into the upper 90s and 100s and heat index values reaching 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit; cities in the risk zone include Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
Major to extreme heat risk is expected Tuesday, with warm overnight temperatures offering little relief, and the heat will peak Thursday through Saturday for the Midwest, Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with close to 100 new daily record highs expected by July Fourth.
New York City is expected to record temperatures as high as 95 Friday, with a heat index of 106, while Washington and Raleigh will have highs of 103 later in the week with heat indexes of 108 and 107, respectively.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urged residents during a news briefing to prepare for the extreme heat, saying, "If you can, stay inside with air conditioning on," and, "If you do not have air conditioning, keep your blinds closed, but windows slightly open." He said six community cooling centers will be open around the city and encouraged Chicagoans to stay hydrated and check on their more vulnerable neighbors.
Over the weekend numerous new wildfires erupted across the interior West, especially in Utah and Colorado, and three firefighters were killed while tackling fires on the Colorado-Utah border; they were identified as 27-year-old Sydney Watson, 27-year-old Nick Hutcherson and 38-year-old Emily Barker, the U.S. Forest Service said.
U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said, "We mourn the loss of three firefighters who answered the call to protect others and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their fellow citizens." He added, "Our thoughts are with their families, loved ones, friends and crewmates as they face an unimaginable loss." Two more firefighters were injured and are receiving medical care, the Forest Service said.
The largest of the fires, the Cottonwood Fire in southwest Utah, is now more than 93,000 acres and remains zero percent contained, according to WatchDuty.com, and fire alerts remain in effect for the Four Corner states — Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah — as well as parts of Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska, with elevated risk increasing to critical on Tuesday for parts of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
Forty-seven million people across big chunks of the Midwest and parts of the Ohio Valley are under an extreme heat warning through at least Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, with temperatures forecast to reach the 90s and heat index values expected to top 100 degrees.
About 56 million Americans are under an extreme heat watch as hot and humid weather is expected to move farther east later in the week; Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said some areas could experience record-high temperatures and recommended people stay hydrated and ensure access to shady areas and air conditioning.
Cities and event planners were already announcing adjustments or calling off events later in the week, including a farmer's market scheduled for Tuesday in DeWitt, Michigan; a movie screening Wednesday in Fairfield, Ohio; and Thursday's food truck festival in Warwick, New York.
The heat wave will also likely coincide with the Fourth of July holiday weekend, providing additional risk as more people have cookouts or watch fireworks for the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison said it was closing 23 buildings to the public starting Tuesday, allowing only limited access to 11 others, and relocating some summer classes after a broken water line at its cooling plant earlier this month severely reduced the ability to provide air conditioning across campus.
Emergency workers were out in Nashville to offer water and check on people during the hottest time of the day; Mike Russell, a captain at the Nashville Office of Emergency Management, said he saw many empty areas where people typically sleep outside, which he said was a good sign that they found someplace cool to escape the heat for a while. Logan King, 29, said, "It’s just miserable honestly, but this helps so much."
Visiting Des Moines with family, Rachel Washburn searched for things to do with kids during a heat wave and took them to a water sprayground, where her children played. Washburn said her seven children ages 18 months to 17 were "quite shocked at the heat and humidity."
Toni Kreutzer, 28, said she took a walk along the shores of Lake Mendota in Madison with her 13-year-old dog Chester as temperatures approached 90 degrees and added, "I like it hot. I just don't like the humidity."
Dr. Roy Elrod, chief of staff at DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, warned that heat-related injuries can happen in a matter of minutes and urged people to hydrate, wear light clothing, avoid the hottest times of the day and minimize exposure to the sun.
A Weather Alert is in effect for Central New York starting midday Tuesday, covering both rising heat and scattered strong to potentially severe thunderstorms, with a heat advisory in place Tuesday from noon until 8 p.m. and an Extreme Heat Watch issued for all of Central New York from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday when heat index temperatures are expected to reach 105+ degrees.
Forecasts for Syracuse call for a maximum heat index near 106 Thursday afternoon and as high as 109 for areas west of Onondaga County, with the region at risk for gusty thunderstorm wind damage and lower threats of large hail, flash flooding or even a possible tornado on Tuesday and again during later afternoon and evening rounds; temperatures and humidity are expected to ease by Saturday, July 4.
"Hydration is key to staying safe during extreme heat," Dr. Reed Caldwell, a doctor with NYU Langone Health's Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services, said.