Independence Day 2018 will likely be the hottest July 4th we've seen in Omaha in a number of years. First, lets look at this year's forecast.
We'll start the holiday off with mostly sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the mid 80s late in the morning. Early in the afternoon, we will continue to warm into the low 90s. Late in the afternoon, we will likely see a few more clouds as we top out near 96 to finish the day. It looks like most of us will stay dry, but Wednesday night, we can't rule out a few spotty showers or storms moving in from the north.
While it's obviously not uncommon to be hot in the summer, this will be above average by about 10 degrees in Omaha. The record high for July 4th is 110, so we won't have to worry about breaking that this year.
Recently, we've seen afternoon highs a little closer to average over the holiday. Each of the last 5 years, from 2013-2017, temperatures have only climbed into the 80s. Of those 5 years, only one of them saw any rain at Eppley Airfield. That happened last year, with a total of 0.26" landing in the rain bucket.
With the forecast of mid 90s this year, it will be the hottest July 4th since 2012, when Omaha hit 100. According to National Weather Service records, the coolest afternoon we've had for America's birthday was in 1915, when Omaha only reached 67. No matter what Mother Nature brings us this year, stay hydrated, stay safe, and have fun!
