country. nearly half the nation is wrapped in a hot and potentially deadly shroud. the east coast now feeling the full force of it. abc s t.j. winick has the very latest. reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. here in new york city, we are expecting a high of 101 degrees later today. that would tie the all-time record. how hot is it? the crown of the iconic statue of liberty in new york was closed to the public at 2:00 p.m. thursday because the temperature inside reached 110 degrees. 45% of the entire u.s. population, 141 million americans across two dozen states, are now under heat advisories. the weather is being blamed for at least 22 deaths nationwide. chicago is experiencing its warmest july in 34 years. it takes your breath away. it s very hot, sweaty, gross. reporter: as temperatures soar across the midwest, utility crews tackle widespread power outages. we don t even have fans.
call the number on your screen. don t you forget about me don t don t don t don t peggy bunker. you guys are making me sad. everyone s been so nictoday. it s a happy day, though. getting nostalgic already. it s a happy day here. moving on to bigger and better. it s a happy day here. it is your final day at world news now after five months doing the program. back in february. so we thought what would be more appropopate than to kind of present a highlight reel of peggy bunker s best, including the april fools prank you may remember. oh my goodness, yes. take a look. let s polka. come on. and of course it s friday. you know
action after discovering this problem and got in trouble with the police. a little bit of parking lot rage. back to the squirrels and the sock. no. okay. go on. we begin with the stubborn heat putting a strain on power grids across the country. we re talking about excessive heat. the warnings have been issued from kansas to massachusetts. philadelphia canceled summer school for today. big cities like new york are offering cooling centers and free swimming. let s get the latest from abc s t.j. winick. good morning, t.j. reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. here in new york city we re expecting a high of 101 degrees later today. that would tie the all-time record. it is hot outside. but life goes on. you just deal with it. even if you re on this construction crew in philadelphia. can t describe it. just very hot out. the humidity, it just kills you. all you can do is try and stay hydrated and keep an eye on each other. reporter: it s expected to hit 101 in philly, break
but once i take advil, i m able to finish out strong. it really works! [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil. thank you, ma am. as we ve been saying, this is peggy s final day with us on world news now after five months here on the set. there we go. we have cupcakes here. i can t believe it. sparkling cider. the whole thing. you guys are the best. the bourbon s in my office. you cannot ask for a better crew. honestly, you guys are the best. i ve only been here for a short time. everybody s been so fantastic. i can t imagine working with nicer people so thank you so much for being so great to work with. we re going to miss you. thank you so much for doing these crazy hours and having so much fun. it makes such a huge difference on the show. i love having fun with you guys. cheers to everyone. cheers to all the viewers at home too. staying up with us all night. to you. salud. time for the polka. it is friday. so say it one more time.
this morning on world news now, millions in misery. the giant heat dome that is trapping the eastern half of the country in a hellish air mass. it is taking its toll. the northeast, temperatures should hit the triple digits, an unprecedented danger. it is friday, july 22nd. from abc news, this is world news now. good morning, i m peggy bunker. i m rob nelson. happy friday, everybody. on top of the heat and humidity, even the air quality in many cities is in the danger zone. as people turn up the ac, power companies arartaking precautions to prevent blackouts. it is amazing the ripple effects with so much of the country in this oven for the last several days. it could go well into the weekend. it is incredible. i can t walk the dogs, i can t really take the babies out for a stroll.