EAST COAST — A weeklong heat wave is believed to have killed at least 25 people across the East Coast, with officials reporting deaths in New Jersey, Mississippi, and Illinois. The heat wave generated widespread heat alerts, affecting 40 million people across the East Coast, Southeast, and Southwest.

On July 4, 2026, at least 18 record high temperatures were recorded. Cities such as Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Raleigh, North Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, set new temperature records. By July 5, heat index values reached between 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit in several cities, including Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Raleigh, Charleston, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 22 deaths across 10 counties in New Jersey. Two deaths were reported in Hinds County, Mississippi, and one death occurred in Cook County, Illinois. The New York City Health Department reported that over 378 people visited emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses in New York City.

The heat wave also coincided with power outages and storm activity. Over 215,000 people in Michigan were without power, along with 151,700 in Pennsylvania, and 94,200 in New Jersey. On July 4, storms produced more than 540 damaging wind gust reports across the central and eastern United States. As of July 5, 25 million people were under storm alerts across parts of the Plains, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic.

Forecasts indicate that temperatures are expected to decrease throughout the East Coast during the coming days, with highs generally ranging from the 70s to low 90s. Conditions are favorable for storms to produce damaging wind gusts exceeding 70 mph and quarter-sized hail in cities including Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, and Arlington, Virginia, on July 5. Additionally, 34 million people from Delaware to Connecticut are under flood alerts through Monday, with potential rainfall rates of 2 inches per hour and accumulations of 2 to 8 inches of rain possible through the same period.