Heat Wave Covers More Than Half of U.S. Through July Fourth Weekend

Boston hit 100 degrees on Thursday, setting a new daily high temperature record and marking the 29th time in its recorded history that the city reached 100 degrees.m. Saturday.

In Nashville, temperatures could reach 101 degrees and feel like 114 degrees, and heat patrols began handing out cold bottled water to the city's homeless population during peak hours. , the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch through Friday, with forecast highs of 103 degrees.

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An extreme heat warning will be in effect in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, July Fourth, until 8 p.m. A high of 101 degrees is expected on the holiday, which would top the city's highest recorded temperature for that date of 100 degrees set in 1919.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged residents and visitors to plan ahead, stay in the shade, and limit time outdoors. " With more than 100 record highs and more than 200 record warm overnight lows expected through Saturday evening, temperatures will be 20 to 30 degrees above average.

Ten states will have temperatures above 100 degrees on Friday, CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan said. Severe storms that have been moving from the Plains to the Northeast will shift southward, bringing a risk of storms to the I-95 corridor over the Fourth of July weekend. There is a chance of severe storms in some areas, particularly the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, on Saturday, July 4.

In the West, dry conditions and high winds have fueled destructive wildfires in parts of Utah and southern Colorado. Red flag warnings were in effect through Friday in parts of Utah and southern Colorado, with forecasters warning of wind gusts up to 45 mph and relative humidity down to 7%-12%. Fire weather alerts are in effect for portions of Colorado and Utah.

Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Warning signs of heat-related health emergencies include fatigue, light-headedness, muscle cramps, and upset stomach. "For heat stroke, the differential factor is that altered mental status, that confusion," Dr.

Catrina Cropano, medical director of the emergency department at New York City's Mount Sinai West, stated. " A boy participating in a pregame ceremony for Minnesota's St. Paul Saints on Tuesday started to faint on the field after being in the sun all day.

St. Paul Saints outfielder Walker Jenkins carried the boy off the field. St. Paul Saints athletic trainer Chase Thompson gave the boy Gatorade and ice packs, took his blood pressure and pulse, and had EMTs on site check him out.

The boy went home with his family and is doing fine, St. Paul Saints spokesperson Sean Aronson said. Children are more vulnerable to heat-related emergencies because they have higher core temperatures, higher heart rates, and lower sweat rates when exposed to heat.