Regrettably, Lincoln is singing “Stormy Weather” during the week of July 4th.
After scattered showers soaked the city Monday morning, KLIN News caught up with National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch to get a clue about the rest of the week, leading up to Lincoln’s annual Uncle Sam Jam Independence Day Celebration on July 3rd, and the Fourth of July.
Monday, July 1
As for the remainder of Monday, those morning showers seem like they’ll linger into the evening, lending to a cloudy, breezy atmospheres on the “cool” side.
“You’re gonna notice, though, as the day goes on, the humidity really starts to increase as we get some moisture and warmer air coming up out of Kansas,” said Barjenbruch. “…and that’s going to help fuel some pretty strong thunderstorms later today.”
Those strong thunderstorms will likely develop west of Lincoln, and move in during the evening hours bringing “very strong winds, a chance for a tornado or two, possibly some hail, and the potential for some pockets of very heavy rainfall with chances for multiple rounds of storms,” Barjenbruch described.
Tuesday, July 2
That Monday-evening storm front looks like it’ll linger through Tuesday afternoon.
“We could see periods of showers, maybe even a few thunderstorms off-and-on through the day Tuesday,” Barjenbruch said. “Then once we get a little deeper into the afternoon hours, we’ll probably see those storms start to intensify in the Lincoln area.”
The best chance for higher end storms will be to the south and east of the city. Barjenbruch says that front will eventually drift south and taper off, kicking off 24 hour drying pattern.
Wednesday, July 3
Lincoln’s proverbial “hump-day” will offer a short reprieve during the day, with a 10% chance of showers before 1 p.m.
However, Barjenbruch advises those attending the Uncle Sam Jam — hosted at Oak Lake Park — to “keep an eye on the sky” as those storms might prop back up near the end of the celebration around 10 p.m.
The free event will begin at 6 p.m. as storms flirt with developing to the west and south of Lincoln.
“Moher Nature is probably going to have some fireworks of her own late Wednesday and that timing will be pretty close. So it’ll be worth paying attention to, but there’s at least hope that it can go off without any sort of delay,” Barjenbruch said. “It’ll be worth paying close attention and having a backup plan for anyone who is planning on being outside.”
Thursday, July 4
Sadly, the Fourth of July might be a rainy one for the capital city. Barjenbruch says the mid-afternoon and early-evening will be the most likely time for thunderstorms.
“Opposite of Wednesday, once we get to the 4th, those storms are going to try and leave the area before dusk,” he said. “The timing will be really close, but it’s going to be worth having a backup plan… as it all sits right now, those storms are at least going to try and get out of the Lincoln-area by 6 or 7 p.m.”
Barjenbruch said with caution: day-time activities for the 4th may be interrupted, but by the time we get to the evening, things should be mainly clear.
Winds will be slightly breezy on the 4th, with some wind gusts blowing around 20 mph in the evening, pushing 30 mph briefly, also creating an urge for caution on on Independence Day as fireworks light up the sky.
Friday, July 5
Thankfully, Friday will help us forget the week of stormy weather, bringing clear skies, light winds, and a high near 83 degrees.
“The big thing, if you have plans: check back on the forecast. There could be some minor changes here and there… when these storms come rolling in, I just want people to be prepared to find a shelter if they need it. We don’t want anybody getting struck by lightning or caught out in a vicious storm. So have a plan and be ready,” Barjenbruch advised.
“But also, enjoy the week… nature’s fireworks are pretty nice, too, sometimes,” our meteorologist friend concluded.