It’s going to rain on July 4 in Myrtle Beach. Here’s how it could affect fireworks shows
Anyone coming to Myrtle Beach planning to soak up the sun will have their hopes dashed, at least somewhat, this weekend, as it will likely rain every single day, according to the National Weather Service.
The good news: The rain chance the evening of the Fourth of July is fairly low — 20% to 30%.
The bad news: It will definitely be raining somewhere in Myrtle Beach. Forecasters just don’t know precisely where that will be.
The highest chances for rain this weekend are in the afternoons — that is, prime beach time. Storm chances range anywhere from 30% to 50% Friday through Monday, according to the weather service.
Will the fireworks shows get rained out? Weather service forecaster Ian Boatman said it’s hard to know right now, though the outlook is relatively positive as there is a much lower chance of rain in the evenings than the afternoons.
“The best chance of storms is throughout the afternoon,” Boatman said. “How it impacts your positive forecast, that’s where it becomes harder to predict. If you have a shower or thunderstorm nearby, that could easily ruin your fireworks outlook, or if there’s just clouds in the way, that doesn’t help either.”
As of Thursday afternoon, the biggest win is that there is little to no chance of any severe weather this weekend, Boatman said. However, he cautioned that the forecast could change quickly over the weekend. Summer weather along the coastline can be fairly unpredictable as warmer temperatures meet up with the moisture-heavy sea breeze, he said.
“We’re getting into a typical summertime pattern: You wake up in the morning, perhaps a mix of clouds and some sun, and then you start looking out your door about 10 or 11 a.m. and you’re watching the clouds kind of build,” Boatman said. “Then, you may have, in the summertime, some powerful storms in the afternoon from the 2 to 6 p.m. time frame, especially coming from the sea breeze.”
Boatman also warned that just because the chance of rain Monday night could be as low as 20%, that doesn’t mean there might not be any rain at all.
“The rain chance is not what the public thinks it means,” he said. “If all of Horry County has a 30% chance of rain, 30% of the area of the county will see rain, and the other 70% will not.”
City of Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said any decisions on canceling or changing the Independence Day fireworks show would be made Monday evening. Two options include delaying the show a bit Monday evening to wait for the rain to dissipate or to push the entire event to Tuesday, Kruea said.
The temperature, at least, won’t be burning everyone to a crisp. (Just please remember to use lots of sunscreen.) Boatman said the warmest people will likely see along the coastline will be the high 80s. Monday will be the warmest day of the long weekend.
And keep an eye on the rip current forecast before you head out into the water, Boatman said. Currently, there is a moderate chance of rip currents developing.
