The sometimes extreme heat affects millions of people in the eastern United States. Image: screenshot noaa
July 2, 2026, 11:55 amJuly 2, 2026, 12:52 p.m
After the heat warnings were lifted in Switzerland, with the exception of a few regions in Ticino, an extreme heat wave is keeping the eastern United States in suspense. The heat wave began on Tuesday in the Midwest, from where it slowly moves towards the East Coast.
The hot spell, which is expected to last over the coming weekend, is expected to bring temperatures of over 38 degrees across large parts of the USA. It is expected that several heat records could be broken in around three dozen states, as the “Washington Post” writes.
The US National Weather Administration (NOAA) speaks of common highs around 38 degrees. Combined with high humidity, these conditions would lead to temperatures as high as 46 degrees. Even at night, the values in the affected regions will not fall below 27 degrees, as the NOAA writes. The national weather agency expects that around 205 million people will be affected by severe to extreme heat up to and including Monday.
The heat wave is further intensified by the weather phenomenon of the Heat Dome: A strong high-pressure area causes sinking air, which acts like a lid, trapping the hot air at the ground and preventing cooler air from flowing in.
Heat emergency plan activated in New York
The heat wave will hit the Big Apple particularly hard in the coming days. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke at a press conference about “life-threatening heat” and presented an emergency plan for the city.
Over 100 cooling facilities are to be opened in which the population can find refuge from the heat, with a focus on particularly vulnerable groups such as older people, people with cardiovascular problems or even homeless people. Signposts will also be displayed on over 2,000 advertising spaces at several kiosks in the city, showing people in need of cooling the most direct route to the nearest cooling facility.
In addition, 15 heat vans would patrol the city, offer medical assistance and food and transport affected people to the city’s cooling facilities. The mayor appeals to the population, whenever possible, not to leave their own homes, provided they are air-conditioned, during the hours when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.
Heat wave hits major events
The timing at which this extreme weather is now occurring poses major challenges for many cities in the eastern United States with regard to the upcoming July 4th national holiday and the 250th anniversary celebrations. While Washington DC is sticking with the parade but also setting up additional cooling facilities, individual cities have limited the duration of the parade or canceled it completely. as the US weather service “AccuWeather” writes.
In addition to the anniversary celebrations, the knockout phase matches of the men’s World Cup are also a cause for concern. The France-Paraguay games in Philadelphia, Brazil-Norway in New York and Colombia-Ghana in Kansas City are likely to be particularly affected by the heat.
At the request of the US radio station NPR FIFA announced that it would provide additional shaded areas in areas where people are queuing. In addition, refrigerated buses, water atomizers and the free distribution of cold water are intended to curb the dangers somewhat. Visitors are also allowed to take a water bottle into the stadium as long as it is unopened. (July)