US Sizzling in Record Heat

The US is still sizzling in triple-digit temperatures as record heat threatens fireworks displays. Santa Barbara County has set up special cooling centers in libraries, senior centers and other community facilities as California struggles in 100+ degree heat, along with much of the Southwest and the lower Mississippi Valley. Several fireworks events have been canceled by officials who fear the explosions will spark wild fires in the hot, dry conditions.

Bizarrely, some holiday revelers are cooling their heels in ski resorts from California to Colorado, where lingering snow is keeping the sport going far into the summer. Crowds are carving the hills in Hawaiian shirts and bikinis, reports AP. "People are coming off the slopes and putting on flip-flops," said a spokeswoman for California's Alpine Meadows, which is offering July 4 skiing for only the second time in its 50-year history. (More heat stories.)