NYC Weather: Ideal Cookout Conditions For Fourth Of July

NEW YORK — The sun will smile Thursday on the people wolfing down hot dogs in Coney Island and those cooking them everywhere else. New Yorkers can expect a sunny and warm Fourth of July despite a previous threat of rain for the holiday, forecasters say.

Independence Day will bring mostly sunny conditions and a high temperature near 87 degrees in Central Park, according to the National Weather Service. That's a bit hotter than the normal high of 84 for that day.

Skies will remain mostly clear in the evening for the massive Macy's fireworks show over the East River, the forecast shows. The temperature will have dropped into the 70s by the time the display starts at about 9:25 p.m., according to the weather service.

But rain will loom over the weekend — there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms Friday and a likelihood of more storms Saturday, the weather service says.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from the weather, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday (Independence Day)
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday
A slight chance of showers between 11am and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76.

Saturday
A chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 11am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.