All indications point to a hot and humid July 4 this year with building cumulus clouds developing into afternoon and evening thunderstorms. With a high temp in the lower 90s and a dew point in the lower 70s — the heat index could easily top 100 degrees — very similar to last year’s high temp of 93 and heat index of 101.

Check your radar sources before leaving for the evening fireworks display in your area as it looks like there will be a good chance (as high as 60%) of thunderstorms near a given Chicago area location. We could have another hot, humid day Friday with more thunderstorms, as a cold front sweeps in from the northwest passing over our area Friday night.

Cooler, drier Canadian-source high pressure will follow the cold front and dominate our weather over the weekend.