With July 4th on Saturday, this might your summer vacation week. If it is, you did reasonably well picking it, but if you like heat and humidity, you should have waited until sometime later in July or early August. If you are visiting here for the first time, welcome to Maine. If you are a lifelong resident, you know why we love it here so much.

The last week of June and the first few days of July are typically quite summery. The sun is very strong and we are inching our way towards the climatological peak in temperature in about 3 weeks. That peak is more of a plateau, lasting several weeks around the same temperature. Most areas will reach the upper 70s to mid-80s on a daily basis from late June through late July. The exceptions of course are the beaches and islands where readings are typically cooler.

Yesterday’s storms have departed the area, but cloudiness will linger today. It will be significantly warmer than yesterday. Highs this afternoon will reach the 70s and while not what many consider a beach day, I rather like these days because the sun isn’t so overwhelming.

If you do head to the beach be aware the surf may still be kicked up a bit and rip currents are possible, though any warnings for them are confined to the southern New England coastline.

Tomorrow we will see more in the way of sunshine and even warmer readings. It’s back to the upper 70s to lower 80s and with light winds, Tuesday is a pick day this week. It’s usually warmest in the Sanford to Bridgton corridor.

A frontal system brings more humidity ahead of it and also some showers and possible thunderstorms on Wednesday. This doesn’t mean a washout and it won’t be cool.

The map below is from the NAM model, while the model isn’t one of the better ones, I do use it for an overall picture of the weather and it can do quite well with certain aspect of the forecast. Notice the green areas, these are areas where rain has fallen during Wednesday. There is a scattered nature to the rainfall and it’s not very heavy.

Since there will be the chance for thunderstorms on Wednesday you could see a heavier downpour, but generally, this is a more typical rain pattern for early July.

On Thursday the front will have pushed south of the region and the air will dry out. It’s still going to be comfortable. Since the frontal system won’t be too far away clouds will mix with the sunshine.
Friday is another nice day, but we’ll have to watch another front. This front doesn’t appear to be strong and will only usher in the chance of an isolate storm.

Presently, July 4th will be a nice day with highs around 80 degrees and a blend of clouds and sunshine. The risk of rain is low, but not zero. If you are having outdoor activities or driving south to Boston for the Pops Concert, it won’t be a day filled with lots of heat and humidity as we have seen in the past.

Although we have lots a few minutes of daylight over the past 8 days, the amount is negligible for most of us and we can still enjoy the large amount of daylight early July brings.

Water temperatures are still running cool, but are slowly warming into the 60s. High tide, which gets later by about an hour a day is going to be mid to late morning the first part of the week and then end up in the mid-afternoon by the weekend.

Not matter what your plans this week and over the holiday, I hope it’s a great one for you and your friends and family.