The Great American State Fair at the National Mall was postponed until 5 p.m. ET after extreme, record-breaking heat over the East Coast pushed conditions beyond safe limits for technology and attendees. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam said temperatures were blist
By mid-afternoon on Friday, it wasn’t the politics that stopped the crowd at the National Mall—it was the heat.
Organizers for the Great American State Fair. branded as part of Trump’s Great American State Fair. announced over loudspeakers on the grounds that the event would be postponed until 5 p.m. ET. The delay came as a record-breaking heat dome settled over the East Coast, with temperatures near or above 100 degrees.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam described conditions that made even basic operations difficult. Speaking from the fairgrounds to Dana Bash on CNN. Van Dam said it was “so hot that it’s difficult to keep our technology operating right now. keeping it cool enough where the batteries are.” He added that people were being pulled away by emergency personnel. including in sirens from fire departments’ vehicles. heading to cooler shade to lower their internal temperature.
“How hot is it?” Van Dam said, explaining that readings were breaking norms. He said the “feels like” temperature was 111 degrees and called it “record-breaking hot,” describing conditions as blistering under the sun.
The heat was expected to set records across the region and for the holiday, according to the report filed from the grounds. It also noted a difference of up to 20 degrees between shaded areas and direct sun. Van Dam said temperatures on the ground reached 135 degrees on his digital thermometer.
Van Dam told viewers it was “very likely that this will go down as the hottest Fourth of July celebration that this country has ever experienced here in D.C.”
The postponement lands after a rocky stretch for the fair since it kicked off last Friday. In addition to debilitating heat, the event has faced power outages and poor attendance, along with what was described as a Confederate flag issue.
Even before the new delay, the controversy sparked reaction online. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who served in Illinois from 2011 to 2023, wrote on X, “Wow. Turns out people aren’t very MAGA after all.”
For now, the fair’s next opening time is set for 5 p.m. ET, as crews and organizers wait for the weather to ease and the grounds to become manageable again.
Trump Great American State Fair National Mall heat dome Fourth of July Derek Van Dam Dana Bash postponed until 5 p.m. ET record-breaking heat X reaction