We begin this 4th of July weekend with severe heat, scorching much of the country and it comes as a record number of travelers nearly fifty-two million, according to AAA, leave home for the long holiday. Temperatures from California to the Gulf Coast are in the danger zone. Merced, California is baking under a hundred and eleven degrees, New Orleans checking in at one hundred degrees, and Tampa, Florida, a relatively mild ninety-seven. Millions of Americans are spending the holiday weekend at beaches to escape the triple digit temperatures in some parts of the country. As the mercury climbs, so does the danger. California’s first heat wave of the summer has many trying to cool off by the ocean. Crowds coming to Santa Monica to take their spot in the sand. The sun is scorching Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California, upping the risk of heatstroke. Texas is under a punishing heat dome. Austin and Fort Worth hit triple digits everyday this week, adding to the spike in emergency room visits. The CDC says doctors in Texas and nearby states treated more than one thousand patients a day for heat-related illnesses. The holiday and heat has firefighters bracing for more wildfires like this one in Colorado. To reduce the threat, crews are getting rid of trees and vegetation. Water school and cooling centers are popular, as Americans look for relief. Doctors advise everyone to drink lots of water and wear loose fitting clothes to prevent heat illness.