Will it rain July 4 in Indiana? NWS says storms are possible, but it's not all bad news

Rain could put a damper on Fourth of July fireworks Thursday night as thunderstorms creep over Central Indiana this week, but local meteorologists say it's not all bad news.

Beginning Wednesday, a cold front will drape itself across the Hoosier state, according to the National Weather Service in Central Indiana, bringing rain and possible thunderstorms to large swaths of the Midwest. Skies Thursday, July 4 will be mostly cloudy around Indianapolis with more rain on the horizon.

Here's what we know about the weather.

Will it rain July 4 in Central Indiana? The bad news...

"We do have a chance of rain on July 4," said NWS meteorologist Matthew Eckhoff late Monday afternoon. "There could be rain showers at any point, anywhere in the state. It doesn't look like a great day to be out enjoying Fourth of July festivities, but there could be enough breaks to get a little bit of celebration in."

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And the good news?

Eckhoff said one silver lining to Central Indiana's rainy forecast is that chances of seeing severe weather remain fairly low.

"It looks mostly just like benign rain," Eckhoff said. "Maybe thunder at times, maybe a downpour, but for the most part it won't be widespread severe weather."

Prepare to get sweaty: July 4 expected to be muggy and humid

While rain might be on the minds of most Hoosiers this Independence Day, meteorologists with NWS urge Hoosiers to keep an eye on the dew point. Thursday could get humid.

"It looks like we're going to have dew points climbing into the low 70s," Eckhoff said. "So it's gonna be one of those warm and sticky, muggy days. That could make it a little bit harder to cool down even with temperatures in the 80s if you're outside enjoying the day."

Live weather radar for Central Indiana

Central Indiana forecast, per NWS

As of Monday, the latest weather forecast from NWS calls for thunderstorms across Central Indiana beginning in the middle of this week. Here's what local meteorologists predict.

🌤️ Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.

🌜 Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. South wind around 7 mph.

⛈️ Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny and hot, with a high near 91. South southwest wind 9-11 mph with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

⛈️ Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

⛈️ Thursday, Independence Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south-southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

☁️ Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

🌤️ Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

⛈️ Friday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

☀️Saturday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

🌜 Saturday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

☀️ Sunday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 20%

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John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports.