National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning as high temperatures have paralyzed the east coast

Organizers of Saturday’s Independence Day parade in Washington DC abruptly canceled the event late on the eve of the event, with sweltering temperatures in the nation’s capital and on the east coast wreaking havoc on celebrations of America’s semiquincentennial.

The event, hosted by the National Park Service (NPS), was scheduled to begin at 10.30am on Saturday. But organizers said they canceled the procession due to an extreme heart warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

Blistering temperatures, exacerbated by high humidity, have been crippling transport services and stressing the electricity grid for days as the 250th anniversary of the US’s Declaration of Independence on Saturday loomed. The cancellation of the parade is just the latest setback precipitated by those conditions.