Independence Day is here, and many people in the United States have begun their celebrations early as part of a long holiday weekend.
As travel ramped up ahead of the holiday, millions of people faced a dangerous heat wave resulting in triple-digit temperatures in parts of the South. Additionally, a new heat wave was building in the West.
Fireworks erupt over the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesPeople gather to watch fireworks on South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.Boy Scouts carry a large American flag during a Fourth of July parade in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Tuesday.President Joe Biden speaks in front of the White House during a barbecue held for military families on Tuesday.Joey Chestnut celebrates after successfully defending his title in the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, consuming 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.An eagle balloon is flown near the Washington Monument during a parade on Tuesday.Red, white and blue water jets are propelled from a boat in New York City on Tuesday.Local residents hold their own Fourth of July Parade in Gloucester, Massachusetts on Tuesday.A member of the Tutu Live Krewe marches during a parade in Texas City, Texas, on Tuesday.New US citizens wave flags after being sworn in at a naturalization ceremony in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on Tuesday.Colonial re-enactors fire their weapons during a parade in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 3.Kids jump into the ocean in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Monday.A full moon is seen behind the Statue of Liberty on Sunday.A crowd watches fireworks Saturday at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Indiana.Fireworks explode over Boston Harbor on Saturday.People ride bikes in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday.Janay Tate blows bubbles with her daughter Imory during an Independence Day celebration in Indiantown, Florida.Spectators gather on Florida’s Lido Beach on Saturday to watch the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix.Festivalgoers dance at an Independence Day celebration in Richmond Hill, Georgia, on Saturday.A child enjoys watermelon at a Fourth of July celebration in Indiantown, Florida, on Saturday.Angela Plunkett walks her dogs, Foxy and Bebe, during a patriotic pet parade Saturday in Bastrop, Texas.A person cools off on a water slide in Dublin, California, on Saturday.Travelers arrive at Union Station in Washington, DC, on Friday.A family purchases fireworks in Ocala, Florida, on Friday.Spectators watch fireworks in the Queens borough of New York City on Thursday.Travelers wait for their bags Thursday amid rows of luggage at Los Angeles International Airport.Motorists travel along the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Thursday.
