Independence Day is usually marked with barbecues, pool parties and a late-night sky glittered with fireworks.

Not this year.

The holiday weekend will instead be cool with chances for showers. Instead of tank tops and flip-flops, I think a lot of people will opt for sweatshirts and windbreakers.

NEWS CENTER Maine

Saturday will not be warm, especially by July standards. Most places will top out in the mid-60s with a persistent northeast wind under cloudy skies.

NEWS CENTER Maine

There could be some dry time between showers, but don’t expect any sun.

NEWS CENTER Maine

The Fourth of July still looks a bit gray, but there are certainly improvements over Saturday.

Showers are most likely in the morning. In the afternoon, showers will break up a bit and there could be a little bit of sunshine.

Certainly not the warmest Fourth on record. NEWS CENTER Maine

The day will still be cool. With some sunshine in the evening, especially in eastern Maine, there could be a few towns that actually hit 70 degrees on Sunday.

NEWS CENTER Maine

Note: I have no part in official decision-making for fireworks displays.

If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of some fireworks Sunday, it could work out just fine.

I think the showers will be mostly wrapped up by the evening. As long as the fog isn’t too thick and the sea isn’t too rough, it should work out.

NEWS CENTER Maine

For those of you who will have the day off work on Monday, this is when the weather really takes a nice turn.

Temperatures will jump back to the 75-to-80-degree range with lots of sunshine.

NEWS CENTER Maine

The silver lining for all of this not-so-great weather is that we need the rain.

A severe drought has developed in parts of central and western Maine.

A quick glance to Tuesday also shows a return to heat and humidity.

I agree, the holiday weather’s timing is not great for hanging out in the sun, but at least this is just a quick blip in what has been an otherwise hot and sunny start to summer.

Have a great, safe and happy holiday. I’ll have weather updates through the weekend on Twitter, @MikeSliferWX.