Clear Southern California skies expected for 4th of July celebrations

It's expected to be a picture-perfect evening for viewing fireworks and drone shows across the Southern California region on Friday, July 4.

Temperatures on Friday will be a few degrees below normal, with morning clouds clearing around 9 to 10 a.m.

Highs will be in the 70s along the coast, in the 80s for most valleys, and in the mid-90s across the desert, according to the National Weather Service.

"The Independence Day forecast for tonight, it's going to look fantastic. We're talking about clear skies, as we don't have a lot of the clouds moving in until the overnight hours," KCAL News Meteorologist Amber Lee said.

Temperatures will gradually warm up over the holiday weekend. Peak heat arrives next week on Wednesday through Friday, with widespread 100s expected in inland cities.

An air quality alert is in effect from 5 p.m. July 4 through midnight July 5 due to harmful levels of fine particle pollution. Smoke from July 4 fireworks in most of Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the Inland Empire, and wildfire smoke in Santa Clarita and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, led to the alert.