in the midwest today, the heat wave should move east by the weekend. we begin our coverage with abc s ginger zee. reporter: no matter how searing the heat or stifling the air happy fourth of july. reporter: there was no melting the patriotic spirit on the hottest fourth of july on record. in hoffman estates, illinois, they kept the water flowing and the tents and umbrella wide open. downtown chicago, it was almost too hot to grill. it is 99 degrees out here. it feels like 150. reporter: the windy city s temperature, soaring to 102. the millennium park fountain provided touch and go relief. triple-digit temperatures stretching from the midwest to the east coast. minneapolis hit 101, detroit 101 as well. in memphis, 100. and in the mid-atlantic, where 900,000 people are still without power, celebrations went old school. without the modern comforts of electricity or air conditioning. many towns in maryland are still dealing with downed trees and powerlines. and it was a tough