Fourth of July holiday will scorch with triple digit temps, over 100 million people under heat alerts

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Heat warnings and watches are in place for 110 million people across 21 states for the holiday period, with dangerous and potentially historic extreme heat due for the West in the coming days and temperatures of 115 degrees possible. The National Weather Service office in San Francisco warned yesterday that this heat event could last 6 to 12 days, making it the longest stretch of extreme temperatures the Bay Area has seen in at least 18 years. Several daily heat records were broken Tuesday and more than 130 could be set through next Tuesday. The weather service warned that "an exceptionally dangerous situation is underway as we enter a potentially historic and deadly heat event." The office added that heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S. and "it is VERY LIKELY that we add to that statistic if preparations are not taken seriously." Excessive heat warnings are in place for much of California, southern Nevada, and parts of Arizona, Washington and Oregon. An excessive heat warning means potentially life-threatening conditions, "with a high to very high risk for much of the population due to long duration heat with little to no overnight relief." The weather service said that temperatures had already reached 77 degrees in the Bay Area, with 18% humidity, by 5 a.m. Wednesday. As for the holiday period, across the Plains and the Southeast, the heat index — which measures how hot it feels when humidity is taken into account — could reach between 100-115 on Wednesday. Little Rock, Arkansas, could see a heat index reading of 116 degrees, while Pheonix, Arizona, is set to reach 113 on the same scale. Excessive heat and humidity will stretch from Nashville to New Orleans on Wednesday and Thursday, but slightly cooler temperatures arrive by Friday. It’s already been a record-breaking year for temperatures. It's only early July, but Miami has spent more time in or above 105 degrees on the heat index than in the entirety of 2019. The extreme heat brings with it an increased risk of wildfires. Some 4 million people, mostly in California, are under Red Flag warnings. The warnings urge people to be careful with open flames — an added risk with holiday firework displays taking place. There is also the chance for stormy weather across the central U.S. to disrupt some holiday gatherings. Some 13 million people are under risk of severe storms across the western High Plains and the Ohio River Valley. High wind is likely across both areas, along with hail and isolated tornadoes for the region. For Thursday, 6 million people are under a slight risk of severe storms across much of Missouri and parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. A secondary area of storms that may light up by afternoon could be Iowa, where a tornadoes are possible. The main threat will be damaging winds for cities like Kansas City, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas. A low pressure front over the central High Plains and a frontal boundary stretching from the lower Great Lakes to the central Plains could be "the triggers for some meteorological fireworks," the NWS said. Flash flooding as a result of heavy rain is possible between eastern Kansas and the Ohio Valley.