Summer has been a little slow to develop, hot and dry summer that is. The season began on June 21st, but the weather has been more springlike with below average temperatures and above average precipitation heading into the July 4th holiday. Many years at this time, heat and fire danger are soaring through the roof. Cool temperatures with widespread cloud cover, rain showers and thunderstorms will move across the state on Wednesday. This will be the cloudiest, coolest and wettest day through the weekend. Highs will only be in the 50s and 60s, well below average. Independence Day on Thursday will start out nicely with mostly sunny skies and overall good weather to be outside. Scattered thunderstorms will pop through the afternoon and evening, with isolated storms diminishing around 10pm. Some fireworks displays may be interrupted because of a stray storm but overall the activity will settle down by dark. A few showers and thunderstorms will pop on Friday afternoon. This weekend will be more of the same. Morning hours into early afternoon will generally be the best time for being outside before thunderstorms pop later in the day. Weekend temperatures will be warmer, in the 70s and low 80s. Scattered storms and cooler than average temperatures will continue into next week, but a big warmup is on the way. A large pattern change will likely result in more typical July heat and dryness developing by the second weekend of the month.
Have a great day.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
