Weather for the upcoming lengthy Fourth of July holiday break is expected to be hot, maybe too hot for some. Dry too.

The National Weather Service says temperatures in the Minot area, and most of the state, should range in the low to mid-90’s today through Sunday with virtually no chance of precipitation. Saturday’s daytime high could approach the century mark at a time when campgrounds and lakes all across the state can be expected to be exceptionally busy.

“Looks like Saturday in the upper 90’s to near 100 in places, mainly in the central part of the state and along the western border,” said Rick Krolak, NWS meteorologist in Bismarck. “It won’t be much different Sunday. Maybe just a little cooler in the northwest. On Monday it will probably feel nice to be 85 rather than 98.”

Eastern Montana, right up to the North Dakota border, was under an Excessive Heat Watch issued by the NWS early yesterday. The Watch warned of “Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 105 degrees possible” and advised people to “drink plenty of fluids” and “stay out of the sun.”

According to the Bismarck office of the NWS on Tuesday, no such issuance of a Heat Watch was imminent for North Dakota. However, high temperatures are expected to persist into next week, particularly in the west and southwest areas of the state.

The long-range outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center through July 13 calls for a high probability of above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation. Daytime highs in the 90’s is likely to happen numerous times over the next two weeks which would be consistent with the CPC’s long-range outlooks for the region.

July’s average daytime high for Minot is 81.5 degrees, a number that seems destined to be surpassed with regularity in the coming days.

While hot temperatures may be ideal for some over the Fourth of July, it is not particularly welcome in a region suffering exceptional drought conditions not experienced for many years. It also means that anyone intending to celebrate the Independence Day holiday with the traditional lighting of fireworks should remain aware of the dry conditions.

Ward County is following state guidelines regarding the use of fireworks. If the fire danger index reaches the very high or extreme categories, or a Red Flag Warning is issued, fireworks will not be allowed. Fireworks are not allowed in the City of Minot at any time, nor are they allowed in any State Parks or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land.

The fire danger map for North Dakota can be found at ndresponse.gov.