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Rain Chances Dampen Parade of Sunny Days

Dan Stillman @ 11:45 PM

What just a couple of days ago was a sun-filled 7-day forecast above has now been clouded over with several chances of rain. Lesson learned: Be wary of an April forecast that doesn't include the weather feature for which the month is known for -- showers.

Today and Tomorrow


Mostly sunny early today with a high in the mid 70s. Increasing clouds later in the day as a weak cold front approaches. Showers are a decent possibility tonight as the front comes through, but any precipitation should hold off until after 10 o'clock or so. Lows tonight in the mid 50s. A lingering early-morning shower is possible tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll see skies becoming partly sunny and temperatures reaching a high in the mid 70s.

Tomorrow Night and Friday


Increasing clouds late tomorrow night as low pressure tracks north of us. Lows in the low-to-mid 50s. Showers and thunderstorms may dampen the mid-day hours on Friday as highs reach the low-to-mid 70s.

Friday Night and the Weekend


We should clear out briefly Friday evening before more rain comes through overnight into early Saturday. I think we might be able to dry things out for Saturday afternoon and evening, as daytime highs reach the mid 70s, but for now we'll keep a slight chance of a shower in the forecast. Sunday looks pretty nice but with a continued chance of a shower, especially late in the day. High in the low 70s.

Pictured: Blue skies and blooming flowers at Reston Town Center, captured Monday by CapitalWeather.com photographer Kevin Ambrose.

The Soggy Saga of the MLK Parade


Last year's Martin Luther King Jr. parade was cancelled due to low January wind chills, and it wasn't the first time the event had fallen victim to extreme cold. So, organizers led by D.C. councilmember Marion Barry, whose Ward 8 hosts the annual celebration, decided that this year they would move the parade to this past Saturday. The idea was that, although it wouldn't coincide with MLK's birthday, at least the weather would be nicer in April.

Well, wouldn't ya know it. In the midst of drought-like conditions, the skies opened up on Saturday and ruined the parade for many participants and onlookers. In fact, it was the second parade of the day to get rained on -- the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival was drenched earlier in the day.

While bad luck deserves much of the blame for the travails of the MLK parade, the timing of the event could have been better thought out. First of all, everyone knows that it always rains on the day of the cherry blossom parade. And second, why would anyone schedule another parade on the same day as the cherry blossom parade, one of the city's most popular annual events?

Then again, these are the same people who, before settling on this past weekend, originally proposed that the parade honoring America's most revered civil rights leader take place on April Fool's Day.

Water, Water Nowhere


Despite this past weekend's rain, water levels are low and streamflows are slow. The effects on the Chesapeake Bay could be good, such as less pollution running off from land into the water, and bad, such as increased salt levels that intensify oyster diseases.

Meanwhile, budget cuts are shrinking the network of gauges that allows us to constantly monitor waterways and, in some cases, helps to provide warning of impending flood.

Pedro's Bean Balls Blamed on Weather


New York Mets superstar pitcher Pedro Martinez is known to have some of the best control over his pitches of anyone in the major leagues. Yet he hit Nationals batters three times -- including Jose Guillen twice -- when the two teams met at Shea Stadium last week. After getting beaned for the second time, Guillen, the hot-tempered Nats outfielder, approached the mound angrily and soon both benches emptied out onto the field, though calmer emotions eventually prevailed.

Now, MLB.com is reporting that Mets manager Willie Randolph "acknowledged that the April chill may have been a factor" in Pedro's errant throws. The game-time temperature that night was 50 degrees. The headline of the MLB.com story suggests that warmer temperatures in Washington should help Pedro with his control when he faces the Nats again tonight.

MLB.com and Randolph get creativity points for using the weather as a scapegoat. But Pedro has a history of hitting batters -- seemingly on purpose -- in all kinds of weather. Washington Post sports columnist Tom Boswell has called Pedro "the definition of a dirty player."

We'll see what happens tonight. Just how much warmer will it be for the rematch? Natcast has the answer ...

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