What is the Fourth of July weather going to be like in New Mexico?

Fireworks will burst and grills will be fired up for the Fourth of July, but what will the weather be, and how will that affect holiday activities through the weekend?

The weather leading up to Friday may appear dim, with a high chance of rain on Thursday due to the onset of monsoon season, according to Nicolas Porcelli, meteorologist technician with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.

However, “Friday and Saturday look to be great,” he said.

“There is high chance of rain, but low confidence in terms of any flooding impacts,” Porcelli said. “I would say, take advantage of that Friday and Saturday period if you’re going to go camping.”

Porcelli did warn people in Ruidoso to be on the lookout for potential flash flood warnings as the NWS predicts high chances of rain for the area, especially near burn scar areas like the Sacramento Mountains.

There is a low chance of rain, around 10%, across the state during the weekend, and Porcelli said dry air moving in will reduce the likelihood of any heavy downpours.

As the weekend progresses, temperatures will gradually get higher, with Albuquerque nearing 100 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Other areas, like Santa Fe and Farmington, will reach the upper 90 degrees, Porcelli said.

Low wind speeds should not add to the potential threat of fires, but Porcelli said highly populated areas like Albuquerque may experience small fires due to fireworks. He said that since the air will still retain some moisture, he does not expect fires to “blow out of proportion” if they do occur.

Sunday will have a higher chance of rainstorms, particularly in eastern New Mexico, where there will be some isolated thunderstorms.

Overall, Porcelli said, the weather is ideal for any Fourth of July activities, and it will be a “pretty good and nice weekend,” he said.