New Delhi, July 4 -- On Friday, July 3 (local time), the heat index (the apparent temperature when humidity is factored in) in New York City reached 105 degF (41 degC) in the mid-afternoon, shy of the 115 degF that forecasters had predicted.

The punishing heat wave threatened America's July 4th celebrations and World Cup matches, and robbed the Swifties of the joy of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Garden.

The power grids were also in jeopardy as near-record temperatures scorched the eastern United States on Friday.

According to AFP, around 160 million Americans were under either major or extreme heat warnings as the country prepared to mark the 250th anniversary of its independence, the National Weather Servi...