>>
fourth of july america is celebrating with parades, cookouts and fireworks. but for many across the nation, this
independence day
is different. in some states that are tinder dry, there will be no fireworks. in parts of 10 states, today is all about sweating it out without
air conditioning
, without any electricity at all as crews spend the holiday working to get the power back on after deadly storms. we have it all covered tonight beginning with the extreme heat. nbc's
john yang
is in
chicago
. good evening, john.
>> reporter:
good evening, kate. all across the heartland it has been a scorcher of a fourth of july. highs in the triple digits as
far north
as minnesota and wisconsin. here in
chicago
the high was 102. that ties a
record set
a century ago. across the eastern half of the country, americans spent the nation's 236th birthday trying to beat the heat.
>>
it's definitely really hot.
>> reporter:
she had only it's second triple digit 4th since they began keeping records. people jammed the beaches although the nation's
water temperatures
in the mid-70s. cooler water in park fountains and frozen treats.
>>
we were going to go to the beach but i think it's too hot for that.
>>
i go inside and the first thing i do is stand in front of the window unit.
>> reporter:
milwaukee set an all-time record high as madison, wisconsin,
south bend
, indiana and paducah,, kentucky. storm tracker paul, minnesota,'s
half marathon
was cut to five miles. in philadelphia's
july 4th
parade, they sweltered as they passed
city hall
. similar scenes in st. louis, which has hit triple digits for a week a firetruck helped cool off suspects. the oppressive temperatures with highs from the 100s from the plains to atlantic are the as a result of air stalled over the midsection.
>>
typically we don't see it this hot so early in the season. we are talking about unprecedented temperatures for places like atlanta, st. louis 100 degrees seven days in a row. that is something we don't normally see.
>> reporter:
if that weren't enough, nearly a million people in 10 states in the
district of columbia
spent the 4th just like the
founding fathers
. no electricity, no
air conditioning
. last week's ferocious storms are blamed for at least 20 deaths. in washington there was no holiday for work crews removing downed trees so utility workers can restore power.
>>
i can't wait to go home. i'm so tired of this.
>> reporter:
his family owned grocery store in
chevy chase
, maryland has been without power since friday night.
>>
we've lost everything. we've lost everything that required refrigerator.
>> reporter:
here in
chicago
, there is no relief in sight for the rest of the week. an excessive heat advisory is in place until friday night. kate.
>>
john yang
in
chicago
. stay
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