Fairly tame for the long holiday weekend in the U.S.

Whether you’re out there celebrating the new concentration camps like a sicko or the values that united us of old, the day Americans gather ‘round and wave the flag is imminent. I’ll be in my “no kings” shirt and at the pool, at least in part.

Weather Watch

Storm three? Odds have increased that disturbed weather near Florida and the Southeast will develop into a tropical cyclone. Still around 50/50, it could become the third named storm and go by Chantal if it does. The main threat is periods of heavy rain, potentially leading to some flooding over coming days.

Lightning links

Websites hosting mandated major US climate reports taken down. (Seth Borenstein, Associated Press)

Powerful 'bomb cyclone' slams eastern Australia with 70 mph wind. (Andrew Wulfeck, Fox Weather)

Huge dust storm shrouds Las Vegas as monsoon arrives. (AccuWeather)

Towering waterspout seen from Ohio shore. (AccuWeather)

Fourth of July weather

I did a city-by-city outlook for the Fourth, which will be updated this morning. Overall, pretty chill (as in calm, not cold).

It’ll be a summery day overall — it is July — but not memorably so most spots.

The northern Rockies to Upper Midwest might be the least-friendly when it comes to weather. Highs well into the 90s across the eastern half of that zone, humidity and a risk of storms will plague the region. The Midwest and Great Lakes may be a zone that sees higher concentration of trapped firework smoke given favorable conditions for that ahead of a slow-moving cold front.

When it comes to fireworks … much of the country is looking pretty good for skygazing.

Florida could also be touch and go as like portions of the Southeast Coast, Texas and the northern tier from the Great Lakes westward.

I’ll have an article looking at Fourth of July air quality issues later today.

About

Weekday morning newsletter by a journalist/forecaster. Connecting weather and climate change dots while occasionally stirring the pot.

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