Sun or storms: What to expect from Myrtle Beach, SC weather this July 4th weekend

If you’re planning to spend the Fourth of July outdoors, this weekend could bring “almost ideal” conditions.

Despite the South Carolina heat, the holiday is shaping up to be a more mild weekend in the Myrtle Beach area with more moderate humidity.

“I actually think it’s going to be a wonderful July 4 weekend, especially Friday and Saturday,” said meteorologist Stephen Keebler with the National Weather Service in Wilmington. “You’re going to have lower relative humidity than what we’ve been seeing in the past few days.”

Across the Grand Strand highs are expected to hit the mid 80s to lower 90s F. At night temperatures are predicted to drop with lows in the lower 70s F.

“The highs are a little lower than they would be. It’s usually all 90s [F] all the time,” Keebler said. “So it’s kind of unusual. It’s not really near record breaking, or anything like that, but it’s kind of pleasant for this time of year, and it just happens to fall on a busy holiday weekend.”

July Fourth weekend forecast

Friday

Expect highs in the upper 80s Fahrenheit along the coast and the low 90s F inland. Predictions call for mostly sunny skies, with a 30% chance of precipitation.

Weather likely won’t interfere with Independence Day firework shows at night, with mostly clear skies and a 30% chance of rain. Temperatures are expected to drop to the low 70s F.

Saturday

July 5 is set to be a bit cloudier, with a 40% chance of precipitation. If thunderstorms strike, they’ll likely materialize in the afternoon.

“Saturday will probably be the middle-to-upper 80s, and the relative humidity will be down, so Saturday is going to be a wonderful day,” Keebler said.

Showers could continue into the evening, especially near the beach. Inland the NWS predicts a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a 60% chance of rain along the coast. Nighttime temperature lows are forecasted for the lower 70s F.

Sunday

Thunderstorms will likely hit the area Sunday, with a 60% chance of rain. Expect mostly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-to-upper 80s F.

That 60% chance of precipitation carries into the night, when meteorologists expect temperatures to drop with lows in the lower 70s F.

Potential tropical cyclone

Showers and storms later in the weekend could come as the first stages of a potential cyclone developing in the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center predicts an area of low pressure near the southeastern United States has a 40% chance of forming a cyclone through next Wednesday.

I think if anything were to develop with that, it would just be a … really good chance of rain for Sunday, later Sunday, and certainly in the next week,” Keebler said. “It’s still relatively early in the season, so it’s not the best time for one to form in that area, but there are some indications that that could be the case.”

The latest on the potential cyclone is available on the National Hurricane Center website, but if the cyclone doesn’t develop by Monday, Keebler predicts it won’t form at all.

“They move slower in the summer time, but it’s not going to sit there and just wait on the perfect timing and conditions,” Keebler said.