PEORIA, Ill. — We enter the month of the July with Independence Day celebrations across Central Illinois and looking back at a very hot and pretty DRY month of June.
“Despite the pleasant end to the month, June was still one to two degrees warmer than normal statewide,” said Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford, “a series of storms moved through last weekend, bringing rain to very dry parts of the state. Precipitation totals from this past week ranged from less than a quarter of an inch in western Illinois to just more than three inches south of the Quad Cities.”
He says the temperatures rise again heading into July with more pop up storms likely too.
Ford says conditions are ripe for scattered stormy weather, particularly throughout the first week of the month of July, right around the time many residents in the region are carrying out their Independence Day celebration plans.
“Temperatures are forecast to remain near or slightly above normal with highs in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. Farther out, the outlook for the second week of July also leans warmer and wetter than normal statewide, although isolated storms will likely make for some disparity between who gets rain and who doesn’t.”
It is a weather story that many will be watching very closely as Peoria gets set for a massive Fourth of July celebration and fireworks show on the urban riverfront on both banks of the Illinois River.
Organizers of Red, White and Boom are in touch with the National Weather Service and will be reporting constant updates on weather conditions throughout the day Monday.
For the time being, the rain chance is forecast at 40%, with a chance for scattered thundershowers.
Larger crowds are expected to begin gathering in the festival grounds near the riverfront by 6 p.m. or later with tens of thousands expected by the time the clock strikes 9:30 p.m. and the fireworks show begins.
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