The weather this weekend is looking stellar, with lots of sunshine.
It's hard to believe the July 4 weekend is upon us and the year is already half done. This is the weekend so many of you look forward to and when vacations really begin; it can be a hot one, with lots of humidity and temperatures well into the 90s or higher. As recently as 2010, it was 95 degrees on July 4, and way back in 1911 Boston reached 104—the warmest July 4 on the books.
There may be a few scattered showers or thunderstorms Friday evening, but otherwise this is a dry weekend. It's also a warm one, with temperatures into the 80s all three days. The best time for strenuous activity will be early in the day or after 6 p.m., when it begins to cool. There won't be noticeable levels of humidity this weekend—a real treat this time of year.
North Shore of Massachusetts, New Hampshire Seacoast, and the coast of Maine: Tides are high around 11 a.m and again at 11 p.m, give or take, depending on the beach. The evening high tide is the highest. Winds will be light all weekend, generally from the west, turning more southwest on July 4.
Cape Cod and the Islands: There won't be much of a difference there except water temperatures will be warmer well into the 60s.
Saturday's forecast: Low levels of humidity will keep the air comfortable in spite of high temperatures into the low to mid 80s; it will be cooler if you live near the coastline.
Sunday's outlook: Fields will remain dry all day. There likely won't be much dew on the grass (even early).
Scattered showers haven't really done a lot to help with the drought. Some areas will get a downpour Friday evening, but there's no chance of rain Saturday, Sunday or Monday. You'll need to be watering often (and deeply) to keep plants healthy. Water in the morning if possible—it's better for the plants.
Since the whole weekend appears to be sunny, we won't have any time when it's cloudy to do errands. I would recommend getting errands done very early to avoid crowds—or use the warmest part of the day between 2 and 5 p.m to avoid the heat.
The only weather issue for outdoor events will be Friday evening, when showers cross the area. Depending on where you're located, there could be thunder or some heavier downpours.
I will be updating the forecast on Twitter @growingwisdom throughout the weekend.