Please don't be hating on the meteorologists. Avoid the first-grade urge to blame the messenger. The Fourth of July holiday weekend will stink much of the time. Unless you enjoy standing outside in the rain.

Most days I'm a glass-half-full guy but I give the period Thursday through Sunday a C-, maybe a D+. For the record, I pray I'm wrong. See if you can squeeze all your outdoor plans into Wednesday, the nicest day in sight with warm sunshine and low 80s. There, problem solved! July 4th starts out bright but there is moderate to high confidence a surge of showers and thunderstorms will arrive by midday and afternoon. Fireworks weather may be partly puddly.

Showers linger Friday, with a stiff north breeze and temperatures not much higher than 70 degrees. Another wave of showers and thunderstorms arrives Saturday with a better chance of a few hours of 80-degree sunshine on Sunday. A continuous rain? No. But have a Plan B.

In better news, sunburn potential is low, no heat waves brewing, and no hurricanes are on the way.