We begin this Independence Day with another around of severe weather wreaking havoc at the nation’s airports that causing headaches for airlines and passengers. Thunderstorms and heavy rains created near blinding conditions for drivers on Interstate 85 Alabama. And storms from the Great Plains to the Northeast caused delays and a temporary ground stop at all three major New York area airports. Torrential rains and a lightning strike even caused a two-hour delay at the iconic Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on New York’s Coney Island. Meanwhile, the brutal heat is nothing to celebrate as more than one hundred million Americans will see temperatures toping ninety degrees as they gather for barbecues and, of course, fireworks.

Another day here in Phoenix under an excessive heat warning. And for flyers, particularly those trying to get in and out of Denver and New York area it has to feel a bit like Groundhog Day, yet another day where severe storms have popped up snarling thousands of flights. On this Independence Day, the booms in the sky aren’t coming from fireworks. Beachgoers in Rhode Island ran for cover after storms rolled in. And in nearby Johnston, two children were injured after being struck by a falling tree brought down by wind, according to the fire department. Elsewhere, severe weather brought flights to a halt at major hub airports in Denver and New York. Where on Coney Island, somebody was hospitalized after being struck by lightning. And the weather caused a lengthy delay for a 4th July tradition. Mother nature’s firework display got started early this year, a two-week stretch of storms adding up to a staggering total of airline delays and cancellations.