Heatwave kills at least 25 across eastern United States

New Jersey reports 22 suspected heat deaths across 10 counties

At least 25 people have died as a record-setting heatwave blanketed the eastern United States during the July Fourth holiday weekend, according to officials in multiple states. The deaths were concentrated in New Jersey, where 22 suspected heat-related fatalities occurred across 10 counties, mostly in central and northern parts of the state. A heat-related death was also reported in Cook County, Illinois, and two deaths occurred in Hinds County, Mississippi.

The first of the New Jersey deaths occurred on Thursday, July 2, and the ages of the deceased range from their mid-30s to their 80s, officials said. Preliminary findings cause investigators to believe the deaths are heat-related, though the chief state medical examiner will determine the exact cause for each. Many victims were found in homes without air conditioning, outside their residences, on the street, or in parked cars.

“This is not a typical summer heatwave,” the New Jersey Department of Public Health said in a statement. “This type of heat can quickly become life-threatening to humans and to animals of all ages.”

The heatwave, driven by a large heat dome over the eastern half of the country, pushed temperatures above 100°F (38°C) in more than 20 states. More than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts across the U.S. on Sunday, though the National Weather Service said cool air from the north is expected to lower some of the most extreme temperatures in the region in the coming days. The FIFA World Cup final is scheduled to be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.

In Mississippi, 74-year-old Mitchell Ray Cooley died due to heat exposure on Thursday, July 2, the Hinds County coroner said. Cooley had been reported missing, and his body was found the next day behind a gas station. The coroner’s office said Cooley “suffered from a medical condition that impaired his judgment” and determined the cause of death as “weather-related heat exposure,” adding there was no indication of foul play.

In a separate incident in Bolton, Mississippi, 83-year-old Martha Irene Van Egmond died on June 27 after falling in her garden. Her husband, Rick, who fell while trying to help her up, said the couple called out for help and eventually two men from a nearby apartment complex arrived, but it was too late for Martha. “She died surrounded by flowers, doing what she loved,” he told local news outlet WAPT. Jeramiah Howard, Hinds County’s chief death investigator, attributed her death to the heat combined with her age.

In Washington, D.C., emergency services treated 51 people with heat-related issues as of 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 4, with 12 taken to nearby hospitals, according to local emergency response officials. The city’s Independence Day parade was canceled due to the heat. President Donald Trump’s appearance at the National Mall was affected by rain, and the Great American State Fair on the Mall had temporarily closed on Friday after 44 visitors were treated for heat-related illnesses.

The worst of the heat began moving out of the Northeast and Midwest by Sunday, shifting south into the mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. Scientists warn that heatwaves with extreme temperatures are indications that the world must lower the greenhouse gas pollution driving the global climate crisis. The National Weather Service urged the public to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun, and remain in air-conditioned environments, and asked people to check on relatives and neighbors.