Smoky haze, hot weather and powerful storms brought dangerous and uncomfortable conditions to parts of the U.S. heading into a long July Fourth weekend that typically draws Americans to outdoor gatherings.

Video above: Extreme heat temperatures recorded in Texas

From heat waves in the South and West to unhealthy air quality in the Northeast, much of the U.S. was under the threat of extreme weather. In the Midwest, some residents Friday were recovering from a powerful storm that moved through Illinois and Indiana a day earlier packing winds that reached more than 70 miles per hour.

That storm damaged trees and buildings in the central parts of both states from the Mississippi River to the Indianapolis area. Crews worked to replace electrical lines entangled in downed trees ahead of more expected thunderstorms and temperatures climbing to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Utility companies reported that more than 250,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity.

Brian Alexander, 55, swept up debris from the front yard of his Springfield, Illinois, home. Tree limbs that fell on his car left several small dents.

“Very lucky on that,” Alexander said. “No power, but we’ll manage. We’re just waiting for the city to get us hooked up again and we’ll get everything cleaned up.”

Video below: Severe storms topple traffic lights and trees in Springfield, Illinois

The National Weather Service said the storm was a derecho, which is often described as an inland hurricane because of its line of strong winds stretching for hundreds of miles.

“We had damage all the way from northeast Kansas, all the way down into Kentucky and across Indiana,” said John Bumgardner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Illinois.

In the South, a dangerous heat wave that has been blamed for the deaths of at least 14 people was expected to last into the weekend in some areas. Parts of Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi were under excessive heat warnings Friday as heat indexes rose above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some places.

In Memphis, Tennessee, officials said relief efforts were focused on the thousands of people who still had no power after storms Sunday that knocked down trees and power lines. In Nashville, residents and tourists alike tried to keep comfortable as temperatures climbed toward the upper 90s.

Leo Bennett, an employee of the county sheriff and at a private traffic control company, said he prepares for long days outside by drinking several bottles of water and packing a cooler.

“One of my secrets is the pickle juice,” Bennett said. "I bring pickle juice to keep from cramping up or whatever the case might be.”

At a park just outside downtown, teenage baseball players participated in a tournament and used cold towels between innings to cope with the heat. Coach Jordan Sheffield said he planned to pick up a fan for the dugout.

“You can kind of see it on their face, really. The red face a lot. A lot more of them red faced,” said Sheffield. “A lot of hands on their knees, things like that. So I kind of keep an eye on that and just try to keep them as cool as possible."

The EPA warned Friday that parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut could experience “unhealthy” air conditions because of ongoing wildfires in Quebec and northern Ontario.

“The primary concern is high concentrations of fine particle air pollution that is unhealthy, especially for sensitive groups such as people with respiratory disease, the elderly, or people with compromised health,” the agency said.

Video below: Timelapse video shows smoke engulfing NYC over a 3-hour period

The Midwest storm helped clear that smoke from the region's air. The Environmental Protection Agency had listed many cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, Ohio, as having “very unhealthy air” earlier in the week.

But the Midwest might only have a brief respite with another storm is poised to move through the region Sunday, meteorologist Bumgardner said.

“Behind that our winds will probably switch back to northerly, which theoretically could bring a little more smoke into the area,” Bumgardner said. “But that’s tough to predict more than a day or two out.”

Parts of the West were anticipating extremely hot, dry conditions forecast through the Fourth of July, raising concerns about the danger of fireworks shows and wildfires. Parts of California were under excessive-heat warnings and heat advisories that were expected to last through the weekend.

“Looking at our high temperature forecast, we can’t help but feel like we’ve fallen into a ring of fire,” the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office tweeted.

Airline travelers got some relief Friday, with none of the weather-induced restrictions imposed earlier this week on planes landing and taking off at major airports in the Northeast.

Still, by midday on the East Coast more than 2,000 flights had been delayed and more than 300 others canceled — more than 200 of those on United Airlines, according to FlightAware.

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Hall reported from Nashville. Associated Press writers John O'Connor in Springfield, Ill., John Antczak in Los Angeles, David Koenig in Dallas, Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee and Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, N.J. contributed.

NEW YORK —

On air quality maps, purple signifies the worst of it. In reality, it's a thick, hazardous haze that's disrupting daily life for millions of people across the U.S. and Canada, blotting out skylines and turning skies orange.

With weather systems expected to barely budge, the smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia and sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend.

That means at least another day of a dystopian-style detour that's chased players from ballfields, actors from Broadway stages, delayed thousands of flights and sparked a resurgence in mask-wearing and remote work — all while raising concerns about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such bad air.

Video below: Poor air quality can have negative health effects

The weather system that's driving the great Canadian-American smokeout — a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia — "will probably be hanging around at least for the next few days," U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said.

"Conditions are likely to remain unhealthy, at least until the wind direction changes or the fires get put out," Ramsey said. "Since the fires are raging — they're really large — they're probably going to continue for weeks. But it's really just going be all about the wind shift."

Across the eastern U.S., officials warned residents to stay inside and limit or avoid outdoor activities again Thursday, extending "Code Red" air quality alerts in some places for a third straight day as forecasts showed winds continuing to push smoke-filled air south.

The smoke has moved over Greenland and Iceland since June 1, and was expected to reach Norway on Thursday, the Norwegian Climate and Environmental Research Institute said, but wasn't expected to be a health concern.

In Washington D.C., the roads were unusually clear as many stayed home and about half the people on the streets wore their pandemic-era masks. The local D.C. government canceled all outdoor activities at public schools and local senior centers, closed all public parks, suspended work by city road construction and paving crews, and delayed trash collection.

The poor air quality also forced the closing of the National Zoo, a popular tourist attraction in the nation's capital. Zoo officials said they were taking the action "for the safety of our animals, our staff and our guests."

In suburban Philadelphia, officials set up an emergency shelter so people living outside can take refuge from the haze.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a briefing Thursday in Albany that "this continues to be a public health crisis," with the worst air quality since at least the 1960s.

"This is not over. We might get a little respite, but I don't want people to let down their guard and to become complacent about this because we have to be prepared for the winds to shift. This is the unknown," Hochul said.

Video below: NY governor issues warning about air quality

The message seemed to be getting through. Hochul said state officials have not noticed a spike in people going to emergency rooms, though there were a few hospitals New York City reporting more patients coming in.

More than 400 blazes burning across Canada have left 20,000 people displaced. The U.S. has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. Other countries are also helping.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to President Joe Biden by phone Wednesday. Trudeau's office said he thanked Biden for his support and that both leaders "acknowledged the need to work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change."

Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the country's worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated quickly. Smoke from the blazes has been flowing into the U.S. since last month but intensified with recent fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday.

The smoke was so thick in Canada's capital, Ottawa, that office towers just across the Ottawa River were barely visible. In Toronto, Yili Ma said her hiking group canceled a planned hike this week, and she was forgoing the restaurant patios that are a beloved summer tradition in a nation known for hard winters.

"I put my mask away for over a year, and now I'm putting on my mask since yesterday," Ma lamented.

Eastern Quebec got some rain Wednesday, but Montreal-based Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault said no significant rain is expected for days in the remote areas of central Quebec where the wildfires are more intense.

In the U.S., federal officials delayed some flights bound Thursday morning for New York's LaGuardia Airport; Newark, New Jersey; and Philadelphia because smoke was limiting visibility. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of air traffic into Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well.

Major League Baseball's Yankees, Phillies and Nationals had their games postponed. Hochul said air quality could affect the Belmont Stakes scheduled for Saturday in the New York City area.

On Broadway, "Hamilton" and "Camelot" canceled Wednesday performances and "Prima Facie" star Jodie Comer left a matinee after 10 minutes because of difficulty breathing. The show restarted with an understudy, show publicists said.

It was not to be at Central Park's outdoor stage, either. Shakespeare in the Park canceled its Thursday and Friday performances of "Hamlet," saying 'tis not nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of wretched air.

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ALL RIGHT, KEVIN ROBINSON JOINING US NOW. AND I’M GLAD YOU COULD EDUCATE US BECAUSE DRIVING AROUND TODAY KIND OF SEEMED OVER CASTE. THE SON OF A PIG THROUGH I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THIS SMOKE. A LOT OF IT FROM CANADA. RIGHT. IT IS IT’S THIS IS A LOT OF THIS IS A RESULT OF THE WILDFIRES IN QUEBEC RIGHT NOW. BUT IT’S NOT JUST IN QUEBEC. THIS SMOKE SPECIFICALLY IS COMING FROM THERE. BUT IT’S NOVA SCOTIA. IT’S IN WESTERN CANADA. I MEAN, THEY’VE GOT SOME SERIOUS ISSUES ACROSS THE BORDER IN CANADA RIGHT NOW WITH SOME SERIOUS WILDFIRES OUT THERE. AND I’LL SHOW YOU THAT SMOKE EXACTLY HOW IT’S MOVING IN HERE. IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK THERE ON THE CITY CAM TONIGHT, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE SOME OF THAT SMOKE WHILE THE MAJORITY OF IT IS ALOFT, SOME OF IT IS MANAGING TO WORK ITS WAY DOWN TOWARDS THE SURFACE. HENCE, WE ARE SEEING A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY. I’LL SHOW IT TO YOU HERE IN JUST A MOMENT. LET’S START FIRST, THOUGH, WITH WHAT TO EXPECT. YES, I THINK GOING INTO TOMORROW, MORE SMOKY SKIES. I DON’T SEE ANY REAL IMPROVEMENT. BENEFICIAL RAIN. YES. I DO THINK THAT PARTS OF THE VIEWING AREA WILL LOCK UP AND END UP WITH SOME BENEFICIAL RAINFALL. IT LOOKS LIKE TOMORROW NIGHT INTO EARLY ON WEDNESDAY. THEN THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY YET MORE COOLER AIR FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK I’VE BEEN TELLING YOU. I DON’T THINK WE’RE STAYING LOCKED. A HOT AND DRY WEATHER PATTERN. SO IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, A PARTICULARLY HOT AND DRY SUMMER. I DON’T THINK THAT’S THE CASE JUST YET FOR US. ALL RIGHT. LET’S TALK ABOUT THESE VISIBILITY OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. NOTICE FOR THE MOST PART, VISIBILITIES ABOVE FIVE MILES. RIGHT. SO WHILE THERE IS SOME REDUCTION IN THE VISIBILITY INVISIBILITY, MOST OF THE SMOKE IS STILL ALOFT IN OUR ATMOSPHERE. SOME OF IT HAS MANAGED TO WORK ITS WAY DOWN. IT’S NOT TO THE POINT YET WHERE IT’S PARTICULAR HAZARDOUS. NOW, HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING. HIGH PRESSURE IS IN CHARGE OF OUR WEATHER, RIGHT? NOTICE WE HAD SOME HIGH CLOUDS GO THROUGH EARLIER TODAY. NOTICE EVERYTHING’S DRIFTING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. WELL, SOME OF THE SMOKE IS ALSO TRAPPED UP IN THAT. AND LET ME SHOW YOU THIS HERE. BASICALLY WHERE YOU SEE THIS RED AND ORANGE, THIS IS ALL SMOKE. AND LOOK WHERE IT’S EMANATING FROM. ALL OF IT’S COMING OUT OF EASTERN CANADA. NOW, I DO EXPECT SOME IMPROVEMENTS TOMORROW NIGHT AND THEN INTO THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. NOTICE HOW THAT SMOKE FINALLY GETS OUT OF HERE AS WE SEE THE WIND FLOW PATTERN CLEARING US UP BRIEFLY. LET’S SEE HOW LONG IT STAYS CLEAR. THOSE WILDFIRES KEEP GOING UP THERE. THAT SMOKE COULD ALWAYS COME BACK. BUT I DO THINK WE SEE A LITTLE IMPROVEMENT HEADING TOWARDS MIDWEEK, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION, BUT A COOL FRONT IS GOING TO COME THROUGH HERE AND THAT WILL BRING IN THE CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN TOMORROW NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. IN FACT, I BUMPED UP THE IMPACT WEDNESDAY MORNING BECAUSE I’M A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENT THAT SOME OF US COULD PICK UP ON AT LEAST MORE BENEFICIAL RAIN. AND BY BENEFICIAL, I’M TALKING ABOUT MAYBE A QUARTER TO A HALF AN INCH. THAT’S MORE THAN WE’VE SEEN IN WEEKS AROUND HERE. SO HERE’S FUTURE CASTS. TOMORROW’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. IT WILL BE SMOKY AND HAZY LIKE IT WAS TODAY, BUT DRY RIGHT ONCE THE SUN GOES DOWN, SHOWER CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO GO UP. NOTICE AS WE GO INTO TOMORROW NIGHT AND THEN BASICALLY AS WE WORK OUR WAY INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE FROM THE METRO AND THEN SOUTHWEST THROUGH INDIANA INTO PARTS OF NORTHERN KENTUCKY, I DO THINK THERE COULD AGAIN BE BENEFICIAL FOR YOU BEFORE WE DRY OUT. HEADING INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, THE FARTHER NORTH EAST OF THE RIVER YOU GO, I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO GET SHORT CHANGED ON THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL. IT IS COMFORTABLE OUTSIDE TONIGHT, 66 RIGHT NOW. LOOK AT THE DEW POINT AND THE HUMIDITY. NICE NIGHT OUT THERE. IN FACT, ONCE YOU GET AWAY FROM THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND, YOU’RE ACTUALLY DOWN INTO THE 50. ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST INDIANA. AND THEN AT 62 IN PEEBLES, 65 CURRENTLY IN MAYSVILLE. HERE’S YOUR 12 HOUR FORECAST, WE’LL DIP DOWN INTO THE MID FIFTIES BEFORE MORNING AND THEN SUNSHINE POPS OUT AND WE’LL START TO CLIMB BACK INTO THE EIGHTIES TOMORROW. SO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES, ALTHOUGH IT DOESN’T SEEM THAT WAY WITH IT BEING HAZY TONIGHT. 56. TOMORROW’S A NICE DAY, AT LEAST DURING THE DAY. AND THEN WE’LL SEE THE RAIN CHANCES GO UP AFTER DARK. AND HERE’S YOUR DAY PLANNER. SHOULD BE A BEAUTIFUL TUESDAY AROUND THE AREA. YOUR SEVEN DAY FORECAST IS OUT LIKE THIS. WE’VE GOT THE SHOWERS IN HERE TOMORROW NIGHT. SOME RAIN WILL LINGER INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. SO I PROBABLY COULD HAVE THROWN SOME RAINDROPS ON THERE FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING AS WELL. BUT THEN IT ACTUALLY GETS A LITTLE COOL HEADING INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT. LOW FIFTIES IN THE CITY MEANS THAT IN THE BURBS TEMPERATURES COULD DIP INTO THE FORTIES AT NIGHT. SO IT’S A LITTLE COOL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WITH ANOTHER RAIN CHANCE LATE IN THE WEEKEND. ON SUNDAY. KEVIN THANK YOU, J

Smokey skies will remain with rain chances increasing.

CINCINNATI —

Smokey skies will remain with rain chances increasing.