With An Eye Towards Constantly Shifting Weather Forecast; Town Readies For July 4th

After several days of unsettled weather--including and a sudden thunderstorm in the south end of town Monday afternoon that cleared the beaches at Hammonasset--area residents are turning their attention to the forecast for July 4th.

Madison has a downtown, and . Many other area towns have .

The National Weather Service, as of Monday evening, provided the following forecast for July 4th:

• Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Slight risk for severe weather

"The storm prediction center has placed the area in a slight risk for severe weather on Wednesday," the NWS says. "Showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of a cold front approaching form the west. The best chance will be in the afternoon and early evening hours."

Steve Adkins, Madison's harbormaster and a member of the Madison Fireworks Organization, says an initial determination as to whether the weather will allow for fireworks will be made around noon on Wednesday, and that the Fire Marshal will continue to evaluate conditions after that time, up until the time of launch.

The rain date, if needed, has been set for Friday, July 6th.

Madison Beach Hotel and Dolly Madison preparing for July 4th

The and the , both within walking distance of the fireworks display, are making preparations for July 4th.

The Madison Beach Hotel said it had a few rooms left, as did the Dolly Madison.

The Wharf restaurant at the Madison Beach Hotel is not taking any more reservations for July 4th dinner, but it might be possible to accomodate a few walk-ins, the restaurant said. The Dolly Madison said it still had a few spaces left for dinner reservations.

Full moon Tuesday night, along with astronomical high tides

The National Weather Service also said that astronomical high tides are increasing with the approach of the full moon Tuesday. "Some locations on western Long Island Sound came close to minor benchmarks [Sunday] evening and could touch minor coastal flooding levels [Monday] evening and Tuesday evening," the NWS said, recommending that property owners monitor evening tides over the next few days for the possibility of minor coastal flooding.

High tide Tuesday will be at 11:07 a.m. and 11::26 p.m. Low tide will be at 4:56 a.m. and 5:07 p.m., making it a perfect night for an evening walk along the beach. Moonrise will be at 8:18 p.m. and the sunset at 8:26 p.m., potentially providing a spectacular light show of another kind for those along the shoreline at that time.

On Wednesday, high tide in Madison will be 12:00 p.m. Low tide will be at 5:47 a.m. and 6:01 p.m. Sunset on Wednesday will be 8:26 p.m. and moonrise will be at 9:01 p.m.

Here is the extended forecast from the NWS for the Madison shoreline and surrounding towns:

• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
• Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Independence Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Here is the extended forecast from the NWS for North Madison, Killingworth, and surrounding towns:

• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Independence Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 89.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
• Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 85.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

For the latest forecast, check the National Weather Service website.

Bummed out about the bad weather? It could be worse. At least we don't have to worry about great white sharks. A 16-footer was sighted off the coast of Chatham, MA on Cape Cod Sunday, prompting a swimming ban.