HELENA — There is potential for thunderstorms and rain on the Fourth of July, so how could it put a damper on your holiday?
"That's what the fourth of July is: celebrating with your kids, family, friends, and lighting off stuff that goes boom," said Jeremiah Gosman, a Helena Valley resident.
Since the firework stands opened last week, Helenans have been building their collection of roman candles, sparklers, and fountains for the 249th birthday of the United States.
(Hear what Montanans are considering if storms wash out 4th of July celebrations)
Jeremiah Gosman says he competes with his neighbors to see who has the best fireworks display.
Gosman said, "I've grown up shooting off fireworks in this valley, and I've seen the east Helena show as many years as they have done it, and it's a great thing to do."
With predictions of storms on the holiday, Chief Meteorologist Curtis Grevenitz has been keeping a close eye on conditions, especially with the East Helena Fireworks Show.
"This is looking like one of the years were more fireworks displays are in doubt," Curtis said. "This is a bit of an unusually strong storm coming in from the Pacific, so it's a storm system, and it will make for rounds of thunderstorms that will produce some pretty heavy rain and very strong winds as well."
Curtis says the weather impacting the East Helena Fireworks Show has caused delays, but he has never seen a complete cancellation.
"I have had times where thunderstorms are nearby, the shows going off, you're looking off into the distance, and you're seeing lightning strikes and you've got the fireworks going on," he said. "It's been very close in a few years, but the show has always somehow gone on."
According to Homer Key, the owner of Big Boom Fireworks, concerns exist about people lighting off fireworks during periods of heavy rain.
"They could just become a bomb, so it just blows up," Key said. "Instead of all of them going off at different times, they can mix together and create a big fire and have the whole thing go up at one time."
So, what will Gosman do if Friday does not have a dry day and evening?
He said, "I'm going to keep most of my inventory where it's dry, and the rest of it I'm going to light off every moment that I can."
