The heat is possible on Saturday in some central areas, but not in the east, where it will be dangerously hot for those attending outdoor events.

The other concern is severe storms across the northern plains, the Midwest and up to the Great Lakes. This will dramatically end the heat: damaging hail, destructive winds, flash flooding, and even some tornadoes.

By Sunday, heat will intensify in Virginia, the Carolinas and the Southeast before increasing in the western parts of the U.S. and Canada over the next week.

The United States’ northern neighbor, Canada, has also been experiencing extreme heat this week, with temperatures in Ontario expected to reach 30 degrees Celsius (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit).

Heat warnings are also in place for much of Quebec, including Montreal and Quebec City.

As of Friday morning, more than 51,000 Hydro-Québec customers were still without power due to the storms. The most affected regions continued to be the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Laval.

In a statement to CityNews, Hydro-Québec spokesperson Audrey St-Pierre said that at its peak, around 9 p.m. on Thursday, more than 137,000 customers in the province were left without power.

“The outages were mainly caused by strong winds and lightning,” St-Pierre added.

Heat waves have become more frequent, more intense and longer lasting due to human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed around 1.1°C since the industrial age began and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world make big cuts in emissions.

Temperatures in the Northeast will drop a couple of degrees on July 4 with the threat of severe storms. Temperatures will remain well above average, although with a more significant drop on Sunday and Monday as cooler air descends from the north.

How is the heat affecting your 4th of July plans? Get in touch using this link or the form below.