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Hottest Day of the Year on Tap

Matt Ross @ 12:00 AM

Today will be the hottest day of the year so far...

Heat Advisory in effect for the entire metro area through 8pm

A code red air quality alert is also in effect today, and as such Metro buses will be free in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Today
Forecast Confidence: High
Absolutely oppressive. Afternoon highs will be around 98-99 degrees for most of the metro area. Dewpoints in the lower 70s will bring heat indices to 105+ for much of the afternoon.

There is a 25% chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening, with the best chance well northwest of town. I don't believe our record high for the day of 103 degrees(1887) is in jeopardy, but we do have a 50-50 chance of hitting the century mark for the 1st time since August 2002.

Tomorrow
Forecast Confidence: High
Some relief. A weak cold front tonight night will allow for more typical July discomfort on Wednesday as highs return to the low 90s. See Jason's forecast for the rest of the week into the weekend.


Beautiful Late Afternoon Sky in Preston Co, WV on Saturday, courtesy of CapitalWeather.com Photographer, Ian Livingston.


July 1999

Yesterday's high temp of 96 is our highest so far this year and should be topped today. However, in the annals of hot July's, this isn't too impressive, as this extreme heat is shortlived and will only bring our July average temp to just around normal.

In July 1999, our 2nd warmest of all time(1993), we hit 96 degrees or higher 11 times. The heat came right away and never let up for more than a few days. Some may remember the high of 99 degrees on July 4th. This was followed by high temps of 102, 103, 94, 93, and 99 over the next 5 days with the 1st 2 readings setting daily records. A slightly cool period of a few days lulled us into a sense of complacency before a second half of the month that was unrelentingly torrid.

The period of July 16th-31st had an average high of 95 and an average low of 74. Every single day during this period averaged above normal. Only 2 days had highs below 90, and the mercury only dipped below 70 degrees one time. The month was capped off with a 101 degree reading on the 31st. This was followed by a predictably hot August.

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