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On Track for Most Humid Summer Since 2000

Dan Stillman @ 12:05 AM

Last week, one day after a cool, gray and rainy day in and around Washington, I mentioned that I prefer the heat, haze and humidity to the "gloom and doom" of overcast skies and showers. Well the Weather Gods promptly responded to my invitation with four consecutive days -- Thursday through Sunday -- of oppressively sweltering mid-90s.

One week later, and once again following a cloudy, wet and not-so-hot day, I'm here to tell you that I've learned my lesson. I'll take as many of yesterday's showery low 80s as the Weather Gods are willing to dish out. Just as long as they call off the dog days of August. No more heat, no more humidity. It's enough already.

Forecast

Nice couple of days on tap. High pressure will dry the air a bit and limit our chances of rain today and tomorrow. Today, sunny and a high of around 85 -- not a bad day for the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg, which goes through Saturday. Tonight looks fabulous for the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival in Bethesda (tonight's movie: Birds), which continues through Monday. Expect evening temps in the mid-to-upper 70s, heading for a low in the upper 60s to near 70 in town and low-to-mid-60s in the burbs.

The nice weather should stick around tomorrow for the first day of the Arlington County Fair. Look for sunshine and highs once again in the mid-80s, although with increasing clouds late in the day and the slightest chance (I'd say 10 percent) of an evening shower. The humidity creeps back up for Friday and arrives in full force for the weekend, bringing with it an increased chance of pop-up showers and storms. A good amount of clouds may keep Friday's highs in the mid-80s before temps climb into the upper 80s to around 90 on Saturday and Sunday.

Giving Dew Point Its Due

It gets hot and humid every summer in Washington. And every summer people like to complain how it's hotter and more humid than the last. This year they're right, at least in terms of humidity. This summer has felt about as humid as it can get around here, and the numbers bear that out. The most telling measure of humidity -- the dew point -- has averaged 67 degrees since June 1. The last time the average summer dew point was that high was in 2000. Here are the average June-through-August dew points (as recorded at Reagan National) over the past several years:

2005: 67.0*
2004: 64.7
2003: 65.7
2002: 64.7
2001: 65.0
2000: 67.0

* June 1 through Aug. 16

Congratulations July

It's official. The National Climatic Data Center is reporting that the five tropical storms named in July were a record number for the month. July 2005 can also be proud that, globally, it was the second warmest July on record. The Associated Press has all the details.

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