Underrated Fourth Of July Spots Across The US

Weather conditions for the Fourth of July holiday weekend will feature many of summertime's staples: storms, heat, humidity and even an area to watch for possible tropical development.

Whether you are traveling, planning outdoor activities or watching fireworks, here's a look at who might have to contend with wet weather, where it's likely to stay dry and how temperatures are shaping up for Friday through Sunday.

Where Rain, Storms Could Be A Threat

• Northeast: High pressure will keep much of the Northeast dry for the three-day weekend. The exceptions are a few spotty showers in northern New England on Friday and perhaps some storms entering the interior Northeast on Sunday. Areas along the Interstate 95 corridor from Boston to New York and Washington, D.C., shouldn't have to worry about rain interrupting fireworks shows and/or trips to the beach or pool this year.
• South: A dying front will give Florida the highest chances for daily showers and storms Friday through Sunday, so it's best to have a plan B and a place to shelter from lightning if you have outdoor plans. The National Hurricane Center is watching this front to see if it can help generate tropical or subtropical development in the Gulf or Atlantic waters near Florida, which you can read more about here. Otherwise, isolated to scattered storms are possible from the northern Gulf Coast to the coastal Carolinas.
• Plains, Midwest: July Fourth's greatest storm chances will be near a frontal system from the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas into Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Minneapolis/St. Paul might have a threat of storms for any Friday evening fireworks shows. On Saturday, the zone of storm chances along the front stretches from the upper Mississippi Valley and western Great Lakes southwestward into Kansas. The front will lose strength on Sunday, but could still produce pockets of storms from the Great Lakes into Kansas and Missouri.
• West: Shower and storm chances will mainly be confined to the northern Rockies on Friday. Spotty storms are then possible for the weekend in higher elevations of the Rockies, but most areas should be dry. In lower elevations, we can't rule out hit-or-miss storms along the Front Range and adjacent High Plains, including Denver.

Temperature Forecast

• Northeast: The Fourth of July will be the least hot day and humidity will stay low, with highs ranging from the 70s in New England to mid-80s in the mid-Atlantic. Over the weekend, it will grow increasingly hot and humid. Most areas will top out in the upper 80s to lower 90s by Sunday, or about 5 to 15 degrees above average.
• South: Summer will be in full session. Highs in the 90s with plenty of humidity will be commonplace from Texas to Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas all weekend, so be sure to take heat precautions as you normally would this time of year. The wet pattern in Florida will keep temperatures nudged down a bit into the 80s.
• Midwest, Plains: Areas from Kansas and Oklahoma to the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes will see plenty of summertime heat and humidity, topping out in the upper 80s and 90s all weekend, including in Chicago and St. Louis. The Northern Plains and upper Midwest will be hottest Friday, with a modest drop in temperatures expected this weekend.
• West: Highs won't deviate too far from average across the entire region. Typical triple-digit heat is expected in the Desert Southwest. The Northwest and Great Basin will see temperatures increase through the weekend.

Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with weather.com for 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.

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