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Altamonte Springs, Florida<\/strong> \u2013 The popular Red Hot & Boom<\/strong> event kicked off Thursday afternoon<\/strong> with a sudden downpour and thunder<\/strong>, catching many attendees by surprise at Cranes Roost Park<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI told them it was gonna rain. Nobody listened to me,\u201d said Kari<\/strong>, a local from Orlando<\/strong>, as his family took cover. \u201cWe checked the forecast before we left,\u201d he added. His mother, Mionca Warren<\/strong>, shrugged it off: \u201cRain, snow, hail or sleet \u2014 we outside.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite the storm, the family \u2013 like many others \u2013 stuck with their plans<\/strong> and waited it out. \u201cIt\u2019s Florida, man. It can happen any day,\u201d said Kari\u2019s father, Charles Hylick<\/strong>. \u201cThe weather\u2019s unpredictable. When you show up to an event, just bring everything. Keep your jacket in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As skies cleared later in the evening, celebrations resumed<\/strong>. According to the City of Altamonte Springs<\/strong>, around 200,000 people<\/strong> were expected to attend the event, most of them eager for the fireworks show<\/strong> to go on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe always get this every year, and it stops,\u201d said Altamonte Springs<\/strong> resident Kendra Smith<\/strong>. \u201cIt should be done about 9 o\u2019clock \u2014 get ready for some fireworks.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other Independence Day celebrations<\/strong> were also underway Thursday<\/strong> across Central Florida<\/strong>, in places like Mount Dora<\/strong>, Baldwin Park<\/strong>, and Port Canaveral<\/strong>. So far, no fireworks shows have been canceled or delayed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Frank Martz<\/strong>, city manager of Cranes Roost Park<\/strong>, promised a memorable night: \u201cWe\u2019re gonna shoot the most dense and intense fireworks anywhere in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both organizers and attendees<\/strong> reminded everyone to stay safe in the Florida heat<\/strong>, bringing plenty of water<\/strong>, towels<\/strong>, and a change of clothes<\/strong> to stay cool. Afternoon highs hit 91\u00b0F (33\u00b0C)<\/strong>, with high humidity levels<\/strong> lingering across the Altamonte Springs area<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Altamonte Springs, Florida \u2013 The popular Red Hot & Boom event kicked off Thursday afternoon with a sudden downpour and thunder, catching many attendees by surprise at Cranes Roost Park. \u201cI told them it was gonna rain. Nobody listened to me,\u201d said Kari, a local from Orlando, as his family took cover. \u201cWe checked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n