Jackets and sweatshirts for Friday morning; Sticky July Fourth weekend

High temperatures Thursday reached 69 degrees in Alpena and 70 degrees in Cheboygan, Michigan — several degrees below normal for the start of July. Farther to the west, temperatures warmed to 86 degrees in Minneapolis, a sign of what’s heading this way over the weekend.

Friday: A few clouds. Early-morning lows will drop to about 51 degrees. Afternoon highs will reach near 75 degrees. Evening temperatures will head into the 60s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny and warmer. Predawn temperatures will head down to around 55 degrees. Afternoon highs will warm up to about 81 degrees. Evening temperatures will be in the 70s.

Sunday (July 4): Steamy with sunshine. Predawn lows will be close to 60 degrees. Temperatures will rise to the 80s by the time the parade in Alpena kicks off at 1 p.m. Afternoon temperatures will heat up to around 88 degrees. Fireworks viewing temperatures will remain warm, in the 70s.

If you’re heading outside for any festivities on July 4 — ensure you have a spot in the shade, take breaks in air-conditioned places, drink plenty of water, and reapply sunscreen throughout the day.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Elsa has formed in the tropical Atlantic, north of South America. It will travel toward the west-northwest, heading through the Caribbean over the weekend. This tropical storm could bring impacts concerning rain and wind to Florida around Monday or Tuesday of next week (but that timeline is still a few days away and details can change that far out).

Taking a look back at June: Temperatures averaged warmer than the long-term normal values, and most of the month’s rain fell in the last 10 days. The average of all the daily highs came out to 79 degrees, that’s 3 degrees warmer than normal. Low temperatures throughout the month averaged to 56 degrees, that’s 5 degrees warmer than normal. Rainfall for the month totaled to a little more than 2 inches — more than 1.5 inches fell June 21 or after.