It’s the next-to-last day of June and that means the July 4th long holiday weekend is close at hand. This year the 4th falls on a Monday so there’s no confusion about which weekend folks will be taking for the holiday.  This also likely means traffic will be particularly heavy for the exodus both Thursday and especially Friday afternoon this week.

The weather is critical to enjoying any summer weekend, but particularly so on those holiday weekends we all cherish so much.  Even if you don’t leave the confines of your neighborhood, a sunny or rainy forecast can make a big difference in how we enjoy the time off.

Like so many days this month, the July 4th weekend is shaping up to be a stellar one.  Simply put, it appears not only will we be enjoying a lot of sunshine all weekend, including Monday July 4th, but the humidity is will be virtually unnoticeable, something often not the case in early July.

Low humidity is predicted for New England this weekend

You can thank the big H on the weather map for the upcoming weather.  High pressure typically brings sunny weather, but depending on where it comes from, it can be pleasantly warm or hazy, hot and humid.  This weekend, our high pressure system will be of Canadian origin and therefore it will be pleasantly warm without that tropical humidity.

July 4th surface map

July 4th surface map

If the high pressure area had moved off the coast, a flow of warm and humid air would have ensued, that is a more typical summer pattern, but not this year.   If you are heading south of New York for the long weekend, perhaps to Washington, DC or Philadelphia, there could be showers on the 4th and even some natural fireworks in the form of thunderstorms.

All the dry weather of course, means no rain and in spite of the scattered showers yesterday and today, the area remains bone dry.  If you are headed away for the weekend, fill a saucer of water under your potted plants and soak them.  This will give them an added day or two of water in a very dry weekend pattern.  The lack of humidity is great for people, but the ground dries even more rapidly in these situations.

The sunsets have started to get earlier ever so slowly. This weekend the sun slips below the horizon at 8:26 and then 8:25 on July 4th.   You likely won’t notice the difference.

One unknown downside of the dry weather could be with the fireworks.  I don’t know exactly how these decisions are made, but if the fire danger becomes too high, setting off fireworks could be banned, it’s happened before.  At any rate, if you are using any flames this weekend, be careful. Remember, much of the city of Portland burned to the ground on July 4th 1866 from a careless person with fireworks.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.