Parade to celebrate nation's 250th is canceled due to heat; Pope Leo to receive Liberty Medal; record heat possible

The day after tying a record high for the date, 103, the temperature didn’t get below 82 overnight, which would be a record-high minimum temperature for July 3 if it holds until midnight.

An encore is expected Saturday morning. (We will eschew saying “hotter than a firecracker.”)

The record for both dates is 77 and 79, respectively.

In a letter sent Friday morning to parade participants, Welcome America, Inc. President and CEO Michael DelBene wrote that he was extremely saddened by the decision to cancel the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade, but that it came down to safety.

"If we can't do it safely, we simply won't do it," DelBene wrote.

DelBene said the decision was not reached by just parade organizers, but a mix of parade leadership, local offices and agencies.

The National Weather Service doesn't anticipate this extreme heat backing off for the sake of the Nation's big birthday.

Sunny and hot, with a high near 104 and heat index values as high as 111, the Philadelphia region remains under two hazardous weather conditions, including an extreme heat advisory and an air quality alert, advising that pollution could affect people with respiratory and heart conditions.

The hope is that things temper down by tonight, with Idina Menzel's Pops Orchestra appearance being pushed back an hour to 8 p.m. to accommodate the severe weather.

Pope Leo XIV will accept the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal on Friday at 11 a.m., delivering remarks live from the Vatican that will be broadcast inside the Sixth and Arch building.

The U.S.-born pontiff’s speech is a major addition to Philadelphia’s already extensive lineup of activities and events on the eve of the United States’ 250th birthday on July Fourth.

His speech will be particularly anticipated in Philadelphia given the Semiquincentennial and Leo’s deep ties to the Philly area.

America’s 250th birthday is finally here, and organizations throughout Philadelphia have planned a full itinerary of celebrations for the weekend.

For those seeking historical enrichment, live music from national headliners, or even a patriotic pet parade, look no further.

Here is a schedule of the activities and events happening in the city Friday:

Friday’s high is expected to challenge the reigning champ, the 104 set during a blistering heat wave in 1966, when the nation was a mere 190 years old.

On Saturday, when Philly celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday, the high may fall just short of 100, said Matt Benz, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, as the high pressure “heat dome” covering much of the nation loses some of its protective power over Philly.

That also could be a window for “ring of fire” thunderstorms that could be nasty. The federal Storm Prediction Center sees a 15% chance that any storms on Saturday could become “severe,” with wind gusts up to 60 mph.

As the mercury climbed above 100 degrees in the Philadelphia region two days before the nation’s 250th birthday, it was, it seemed, too hot for liberty as originally planned.

Thursday marked the start of the Red White & Blue To-Do — Philadelphia’s third-annual celebration of the day the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt a resolution of independence here on July 2, 1776. Though many events honoring that anniversary were planned, several highly anticipated gatherings were canceled or postponed due to the heat.

And yet, despite the oppressive temperatures on a particularly toasty July day in the cradle of the nation’s founding, the celebration started early Thursday.