Weather and gas prices - especially where both were at until recently - may have caused a different kind of fireworks from some of us if they continued.

But both are shaping up for the Fourth of July.

Climatologist Cliff Harris said this weekend should be dry with highs in the lower to mid-80s.

"It looks great for the fireworks show," Harris said.

Harris said he expects 90-degree weather to hit in about 10 days.

"We could get as many as a dozen days above 90 from mid-July to mid-August," he said.

Gas prices are also improving.

Prices averaged $3.61 a gallon in Coeur d'Alene on Wednesday, down from $3.75 a month ago, according to the AAA travel agency.

Wednesday's price in Post Falls, normally about a dime higher than Coeur d'Alene, was $3.60. Idaho's average is $3.64; the nation's $3.54.

Since May 5, the national average price has dropped 44 cents, compared to just 13 cents in Idaho.

Lower oil prices have helped gradually bring gas prices down for the past month, a trend that should continue for a month or so, said Dave Carlson, AAA spokesman.

"We don't expect to see substantial drops, though," Carlson said.

Prices across the state varied from $3.39 in Pocatello to $3.87 in Ketchum.

"Eastern Idaho retailers are more competitive, in general, than those in other parts of the state," Carlson said. "There's no single factor to explain why prices can be 50 cents higher in one community, though resort areas in the state nearly always command higher prices.

"As a general rule, falling wholesale prices give retailers more options than when prices are going up. Simply put, that means retailers can opt to hold on to higher prices in the hopes that demand won't drop off, or they can take a more competitive stance by dropping prices."

AAA expects there will be a 2.4 percent decrease in overall Fourth of July travel in the region compared to 2010. Auto trips are expected to drop 2.7 percent, but air travel is expected to rise 9.9 percent.

"Though we've seen some easing of pump prices in the past six weeks, the impact of higher fuel prices on household disposable income this year is significant enough that it will keep some Americans home," Carlson said.