TRAVERSE CITY -- More rainy days and cool temperatures could dampen the National Cherry Festival before it wraps this week.
Thunderstorms in the latter half could threaten several events, including Saturday's closing fireworks, Executive Director Tom Menzel said.
Mostly clear skies should prevail today and Thursday, although temperatures will drop into the lower- to mid-70s both days, "a few degrees below normal," said Andy Sullivan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.
But a warm front moving into the region Thursday evening is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms overnight and heat Friday's temperatures up to the middle- to upper-80s, Sullivan said.
And a cold front sweeping back through on Saturday could bring more storms as temperatures hold steady in the 80s until Sunday.
"It warms up, but doesn't really last more than a couple days," Sullivan said. "Then there's another cold front in a series of systems."
The festival makes most of its revenue during the opening and closing weekends, Menzel said.
Clear weather and warm temperatures last weekend contributed to a strong start, he said, with some vendors reporting record sales. But inclement weather raises concerns about safety, particularly during parades and fireworks shows.
"Saturday's the one day I'm worried about," Menzel said. "When we have a weekend that's rained out, that can be very costly to us."
Despite overcast weather Tuesday, all events went on as planned. In the event of storms, Menzel said festival leaders consider the dangers to participants and spectators when deciding to cancel an event -- sometimes just minutes from its start time.
"We go right down to the wire," he said. "I think we're going to be fine."
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