Mild East, Hot West for 4th of July Weekend

Brian Donegan
Published: June 26,2016

4th of July weekend 2016 could be filled with stormy weather for parts of the mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest, while much of the West remains hot and dry. In the Northeast, temperatures will be very close to seasonal averages and conditions are expected to be mainly dry.
(MORE: 10-day Planner Maps)
The overall weather pattern throughout the holiday weekend will feature a ridge of high pressure (bulge in the jet stream) over the West and a trough of low pressure (southward dip in the jet stream) in the East.

Saturday's Jet Stream Forecast

The result of this pattern is continued hot temperatures in the West, but it prevents any persistent heat in the East as frequent cold fronts move through. Needless to say, it will allow for very comfortable temperatures and humidity levels in the Northeast during the 4th of July weekend.
(MORE: Four Things to Look For This Week)
With that in mind, here's what travelers can expect this weekend.

Saturday

Overview

• Wet Areas: Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
• Dry Areas: Much of the Northeast, Rockies and West will enjoy dry conditions.
• High Temperatures: Highs will be in the 80s and 90s in the East. However, parts of the Great Lakes region may get stuck in the 70s. Parts of the West will soar into the 90s and even 100s in the Desert Southwest. Coastal areas of the West will hold in the 70s.

Major highways impacted:

• I-70 from Kansas City, Missouri, to Indianapolis (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-40 from Memphis, Tennessee, to Greensboro, North Carolina (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-95 from Richmond, Virginia, to Jacksonville, Florida (scattered showers and thunderstorms)

East Forecast for 4th of July Weekend

Sunday

Overview

• Wet Areas: Parts of the Tennessee Valley to the Southeast run the risk for scattered showers and thunderstorms, perhaps southern portions of the mid-Atlantic as well.
• Dry Areas: The Northeast, Midwest, Gulf Coast and West will all enjoy sunshine and dry weather.
• High Temperatures: Highs will be in the 80s across a large swath of the country. Parts of the North could hold in the 70s, while 90s and 100s are likely across the South and West. Coastal areas of the West will see highs in the 70s.

Major highways impacted:

• I-95 from Petersburg, Virginia, to Florence, South Carolina (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-40 from Memphis, Tennessee, to Greensboro, North Carolina (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-85 from Durham, North Carolina, to Atlanta (scattered showers and thunderstorms)

West Forecast for 4th of July Weekend

4th of July (Monday)

Overview

• Wet Areas: The Southeast has a threat for scattered showers and thunderstorms on the 4th of July holiday, possibly northward into the southern mid-Atlantic, too. Isolated coverage of showers and thunderstorms is also possible in the Northern Plains.
• Dry Areas: The Northeast, Midwest, Rockies and West will all enjoy sunshine and dry weather.
• High Temperatures: Highs in the 70s and 80s are expected across the Northeast, while the Southeast experiences mostly 80s. The Midwest will see highs in the 80s and 90s, except some portions of the Upper Midwest may hold in the 70s. The West will be in the 90s and 100s, except along the coast where temperatures will hold in the 70s.

Major highways impacted:

• I-4 from Tampa, Florida, to Daytona Beach, Florida (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-75 from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Atlanta (scattered showers and thunderstorms)
• I-77 from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Columbia, South Carolina (scattered showers and thunderstorms)