With the Fourth of July falling midweek in 2018, fewer Americans are expected to celebrate the summer's biggest holiday than in years past — 216 million, down from 2017's 219 million, USA Today reports. More than half of revelers are expected to have a cookout or picnic, with the forecast for a large portion of the United States being clear enough for fireworks, while the Great Lakes, Northeast, and parts of the South could see scattered storms.
Of the millions of Americans heading out of town, many will contend with the highest gas prices in four years, at an average of $2.86 a gallon, up about 63 cents from the year before. Americans are expected to spend more than $900 million on fireworks and more than $1 billion on beer, and consume some 150 million hot dogs, PennLive reports.
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