Happy 4th of July, Hold on Tight to Your Sparklers!

Mike,
Attached is a weather picture of my son Matthew and the American Flag. My son would like to thank all the men and women who have helped to make this country free.

This picture was taken in front of our house on Lodi Lane in Lafayette.

- Jim Nettleman

Thanks Jim! This is what today is all about. Now you have me really going! We have a lot to be proud of and especially thankful for. I really felt a huge sense of pride when I went to visit Washington, D.C. a couple weeks ago. You walk around the city that has stood up for freedom all around the world and you just get goosebumps.

When I saw George Washington's uniform he wore and Thomas Jefferson's desk he used to help draft the Declaration of Independence (on display at the Air in Space Museum) it gives you a better sense of how this country was built and what makes it special. It was a struggle back then for our forefathers to conceive such a nation on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was a concept that was new. Today our brave and new concept faces even bigger challenges, but we have a solid foundation that unites us all and keeps us strong. You can even make a good case that this American spirit is even stronger today than it was in 1776. Today we remember not just our founding fathers, but our brave soldiers who put their lives on the line every day all over the world so that we can continue to make our country's lofty ideals of world peace and freedom a reality that we can hand down to future generations.

Today everybody is out celebrating our country's birthday. But make sure you go over this weather checklist before heading out today.

We have had a very quiet severe weather season so far this year and I want to make sure everybody is prepared and stays alert. If you are going boating or on a long hike, make sure to take a weather radio so you can be alerted of any severe weather. Have a plan B to go to a safe place in case threatening weather takes place and of course we will keep you updated on WLFI. Our biggest risk today will be damaging wind gusts. You can see the reason for this below.

A strong, cool, dry flow aloft meeting our warm and humid air. This is never a good mix in the atmosphere. We tend to get microburst in this type of set-up and we cannot rule out isolated 60 mph wind gusts. Here is your weather word of the day.

Timing is everything and the good news is that I am not only calling for nature's fireworks, but man-made fireworks. The same fast flow in the atmosphere that may bring severe weather will also help push the main line of storms to our south by time the fireworks shows get underway. Here is the latest timeline.

Notice the prime time for storms still looks like late afternoon and early evening with low chances of rain and only isolated activity by 10 p.m. This can still change so make sure to tune in tonight for the very latest. In the meantime, have a safe and happy 4th of July!