High heat and thunderstorms are again the main weather stories across the nation on the Fourth of July, forecasters say, but conditions will not be as intense or widespread as in recent days.
However, potentially record-breaking heat will make for a sweltering holiday in portions of the western U.S., especially the normally mild Pacific Northwest, where high temperatures will approach 100 degrees in Oregon.
The greatest threat for severe weather on the Fourth will focus on the central and northern Plains, where thunderstorms could produce damaging winds and large hail late in the day and at night, AccuWeather said.
Thunderstorms and lightning briefly delayed the men’s event in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York Tuesday, where the National Weather Service had issued a hazardous weather outlook for heavy rain and potential flash flooding. The weather service said they received reports of a possible lightning strike injury at Coney Island and a potential strike to a home in Marine Park, Brooklyn.
Heavy rain in Hartford, Connecticut prompted water rescues when several cars were reportedly trapped in floodwater, the weather service said. And a 911 call center in Spring City, Tennessee, told the weather service it was receiving calls about flood waters flowing to homes and garages.
Western heat wave continues
The Desert Southwest and West Coast is expected to continue to sizzle on the Fourth, the weather service said.
Record-breaking heat is forecast to scorch northern California and western Oregon on Tuesday. Highs are forecast to reach into the 90s and low 100s, the weather service said.
AccuWeather predicts that temperatures are projected to challenge daily record highs along portions of I-5, ranging from near 90 degrees in Seattle to the lower 100s in Medford, Oregon.
Highs well into the triple digits are also forecast throughout the Desert Southwest. An excessive heat warning is in effect Tuesday in both Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona, the weather service said.
Elsewhere, “it’ll be another day with plenty of the heat and humidity July is known for in the Southeast, Plains, Midwest and parts of the Northeast,” according to Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.
Heat index forecast map
Stormy in the Plains, better in the Northeast
Scattered severe thunderstorms are forecast over the central Great Plains beginning late afternoon Tuesday into Tuesday night. Severe thunderstorm gusts will be the primary hazard, the Storm Prediction Center said.
In the Northeast, local downpours could impact holiday plans from portions of upstate New York to New England on Tuesday, but most of the stormy weather may stay away from the Interstate 95 corridor, forecasters said.
“After an active couple of days Sunday and Monday in terms of showers and thunderstorms, folks along the I-95 corridor should see improvement for the holiday on Tuesday,” AccuWeather meteorologist Dean DeVore said. While storms may approach the coast in portions of Virginia and the Carolinas, areas to the north may see calmer conditions, he said.
“For most areas, these storms will be the hit-or-miss variety, but you should have a plan to shelter if you hear thunder during any outdoor plans,” Dolce said.
U.S. weather watches and warnings
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver
