Forecast: Rain, Lightning a July 4th Threat

Happy July 4th! Regrettably, for the fourth time in the last five years, showers and thunderstorms risk dampening, if not dousing, Independence Day outdoor activities. To make matters worse, the storm potential persists throughout the entire holiday weekend. Several inches of rain may fall between today and Sunday night. It will not rain all the time, but anyone planning to be outside should monitor weather conditions and be prepared to quickly seek shelter as lightning will be a real danger with so many people out and about.

Fourth of July Guide | Independence Day Downtown | Get There | AT&T National

TODAY (FRIDAY)

Partly sunny. Afternoon and evening storms developing. 84-87. A cold front stalled to our west will clash with humid air flow from the south setting off slow-moving showers and thunderstorms. These storms may produce heavy rain, gusty winds and dangerous lightning. It's not out of the question that some areas escape the rain and just experience partly to mostly cloudy skies and high humidity. But most areas will probably get rained on at some point, with odds increasing throughout the day -- peaking in the early evening -- and then dropping off towards midnight.

Independence Day Details

10 a.m. -- Partly sunny, 30% chance of showers, 78
1 p.m. -- Partly sunny, 20% chance of showers, 84
4 p.m. -- Mostly cloudy, 50% chance of storms, 86
7 p.m. -- Mostly cloudy, 50% chance of storms, 81
10 p.m. -- Partly cloudy, 40% chance of storms, 79

Forecast confidence: Medium-High

Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend. See BeachCast is you're head to the shore.

THE WEEKEND

Mostly cloudy, P.M. storms likely. Mid 80s. A weak front will continue to sit on top of us both days and will serve as a focusing mechanism for showers and storms. While there will be breaks in the action (particularly during the morning hours) and some areas will get hit harder than others, locally heavy rain is possible. When it's not raining, it will be warm and muggy with highs in the mid 80s.