Full gamut of weather through the weekend

Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are expected through the 4th of July holiday weekend for the Sierra and western Nevada. Heavy rain with localized flash flooding will be possible in some areas of the Sierra and surrounding valleys.

The National Weather Service in Reno has said to expect abundant lightning, small hail, erratic wind gusts up to 50 mph, and rapid drops in temperatures. Temperatures can quickly drop by 30 to 40 degrees under thunderstorms in combination with very heavy rain, which poses a hypothermia threat to those outdoors.

Accuweather.com's hour by hour forecast shows a chance of thunderstorms during two short periods on the Fourth of July around 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.

No place outside is safe from lightning. If you hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. If you plan on being outdoors, have a plan for thunderstorms.

Weather forecast from weather.gov:

Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11 p. m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

4th of July: Isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Storm is expected around 5 p.m. so your day should be sunny and clear!

Saturday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A slight chance of showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m .. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

Monday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.