4th of July weather forecast across the US: What to expect
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — Severe storms are closing in on the Northeast and extreme heat is headed to the Midwest as Americans gear up to enjoy the long Fourth of July weekend.
Here’s what you need to know about the holiday weather forecast:
If you’re hitting the road in the Northeast on Thursday afternoon or evening, be mindful of storms.
A level 2 out of 5 severe risk is in place across the Northeast, from Philadelphia to New York City and Vermont to Maine. Be prepared for damaging winds, lightning and possibly large hail.
A level 2 severe risk is also in effect in North Dakota, where damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are possible.
On July 4, temperatures will be abnormally high in the Upper Midwest.
A heat advisory is in effect in Minnesota, where the heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — could near 100 degrees. On Saturday, Chicago is forecast to reach 97 degrees.
The heat will then spread to the East. Burlington, Vermont, could hit a record-tying 95 degrees on Sunday.
In Texas and the West, temperatures will be below average on Friday. The high temperature is forecast to reach just 82 degrees in Los Angeles and Dallas. In San Francisco, the high temperature will be just 62 degrees.
Dallas will rebound to temperatures in the mid-90s by Saturday.
There’s also fire danger on the Fourth of July. Red flag warnings are in place for parts of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.
Meanwhile, Florida will have widespread showers and thunderstorms on July 4.
Through Monday, rain totals could reach 4 inches in parts of Florida, while coastal Georgia and the coastal Carolinas could see up to 2 inches of rain.
(WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.) — One person is dead and two others injured after Purdue University’s Boilermaker Special mascot collided with a vehicle on a highway in Indiana, authorities said.
The deadly crash happened Thursday afternoon on U.S. 52 at Wyandotte Road in southeastern Tippecanoe County, several miles southeast of the university.
The Boilermaker Special vehicle was traveling north on the highway when, for a currently unknown reason, it crossed the median and collided with a passenger car traveling south, according to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of the passenger vehicle died, the sheriff’s office said. The person’s identity has not yet been confirmed, authorities said. No one else was in the vehicle.
Two students who were on the Boilermaker Special were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. They have since been treated and released, according to Purdue.
“We can confirm our Boilermaker Special was involved in a serious multi-vehicle accident,” the university said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the incident.”
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office crash reconstruction team is investigating, the sheriff’s office said.
The Boilermaker Special, a vehicle that resembles a Victorian-era steam locomotive, is Purdue’s official mascot. It travels to away football games and can drive up to 75 mph, according to the school.
(PALM SPRINGS, Calif) — Law enforcement officials are expected to announce the arrest of an individual allegedly linked to the primary suspect in the car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, last month, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The suspect is expected to appear in a Brooklyn federal court Wednesday afternoon before he’s moved to California, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The primary suspect in the case, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, was found dead next to the detonated vehicle, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s LA field office said last month.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.) — Robert Crimo III, the gunman who killed seven people and injured dozens in a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday.
Crimo was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences, Judge Victoria A. Rossetti announced on Thursday.
“This court hopes this sentence hopes brings a sense of justice and an end to the continued horror,” Rossetti said.
The sentencing hearing, which began Wednesday, finished Thursday morning after the court heard from multiple survivors and relatives of those killed in the shooting at the Independence Day parade.
Crimo decided to not appear in court on Wednesday or Thursday. The shooter’s parents, who have attended most court proceedings, were also not present.
The victims, who expected to address Crimo at the sentencing hearing, still shared the impact Crimo’s attack had on their lives.
Leah Sundheim, daughter of victim Jacqueline Sundheim, said Crimo “threw the balance of this world off” by killing her mother.
“I hope you wake in the middle of the night, gasping air you don’t deserve,” Sundheim said in court on Wednesday.
Sundheim also read a statement on behalf of her father, Bruce Sundheim, who said their family’s lives have been destroyed by Crimo’s “violent tantrum.”
Marcia Moran, whose husband was shot by Crimo, said she has been in therapy for over two years due to the emotional trauma. Her family has since moved out of Highland Park and is now living in Tennessee.
“The shooter doesn’t get to take anything more from me,” Moran said in court via Zoom.
In March, Crimo pleaded guilty to 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each person killed, and dozens of attempted murder charges.
Survivor Ashbey Beasley, who fled the parade with her son when the gunfire broke out, said in March the plea brought an “immense amount of relief.”
“Every single time I see [Crimo], it’s stressful,” she told reporters back in March. “I think it’s upsetting for everyone…Just knowing that his plea has been entered and we will not have to see him again is what we all need.”
Crimo appeared ready to accept a guilty plea last June during a hearing, only to reject the deal in front of devastated members of the victims’ families. He was expected to plead guilty to seven counts of murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm at the hearing at the time, according to the AP.
“We have Fourth of July coming up and it will be two years,” Sundheim said at a news conference at the time. “All I wanted was to be able to fully grieve my mom without the looming trial, knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life in jail. And instead, we were yet again shown [Crimo’s] complete and blatant disregard for humans.”
Crimo told police he wore women’s clothing during the shooting and used makeup to hide his facial tattoos and blend in with the crowd during the chaos, prosecutors said. Crimo was apprehended hours later and prosecutors said he confessed to the shooting.
Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr., pleaded guilty last year to reckless conduct, admitting to signing the Firearm Owner’s Identification card for his son to apply for gun ownership.
The younger Crimo was 19 at the time and too young to get a FOID card on his own. Illinois at the time required people ages 18, 19 or 20 to have parent or guardian authorization.
