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Slowly But Surely Sticky, What About Super?
Increasing thunderstorm chances over the weekend

Jason Samenow @ 12:37 AM

Very pleasant conditions will greet us today before heat and humidity make a gradual return towards the weekend. By late in the weekend and into early next week, the pattern may become conducive to much needed rain.

Today


Late spring bliss. Courtesy of high pressure centered smack-dab over the Mid-Atlantic, look forward to mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid 80s. Winds will be light, humidity will be low and UV will be high -- so wear the sunscreen. Overnight, expect clear skies, with lows 60-66 (suburbs-city).

Thursday


Forecast Confidence: High-Very HighVery warm, a hint of humidity. Don't expect suffocating mid-summer stickiness, but it does look like a warm one. Under full sunshine and a light southerly breeze, the mercury will approach, but probably not quite reach 90 degrees in most locations. Overnight, it will be mostly clear and mild, with lows 65-70 (suburbs-city).

Friday


Forecast Confidence: HighOn the warm and muggy side. With high pressure offshore and southerly flow asserting itself, temperatures and humidity levels will continue to creep upward. We're not talking about oppressive heat, but highs will likely range from 88-93 under partly sunny skies, with heat index values of 90-95. An isolated late day thunderstorm can't be ruled out, especially towards the mountains. Overnight, skies should be mostly clear, with lows 68-73.

The Weekend


Forecast Confidence: Medium-HighQuite humid, storm chances increase. A slow moving cold front will approach the region Saturday before stalling out just to our west on Sunday. Both days will carry the threat of storms, with the likelihood a bit higher on Sunday (50% compared to 30% Saturday). Saturday will probably be the hotter of the two days, with highs near 90 compared to mid to upper 80s on Sunday.

The good news is that the stalling front may provide a focusing mechanism for much need rain into early next week. We'll also need to watch the possible development of a tropical system -- which several models indicate may flirt with the East Coast during this time period.

A hazy sunrise last weekend by CapitalWeather.com photographer Kevin Ambrose. Hazy, hot and humid conditions will likely return once again for the coming weekend.

Super Bowl in DC? What about the weather?


With the recent announcement that Dallas will host the Super Bowl in 2011, journalists and bloggers have begun speculating about hosts of future Super Sundays. Washington Times columnist Dan Daly argues Washington, DC should be on the short list of cities under consideration despite its weather:
Time to put a lid on FedEx Field -- a sunroof, a Brock-A-Brella, a temporary toupee, something to keep it nice and comfy in early February.
But I say why not just play the game outside? In early February, our average high is in the mid 40s, which is chilly but not brutal. Football fans are fanatic, and cold weather isn't going to keep them away. Washington has hosted an NFC Championship in early January which is, on average, colder by a few degrees. Granted snow chances are a bit higher in February than January -- but an ice bowl in DC would add to the intrigue. Officials may be concerned about a crippling snowstorm keeping fans from the game, but if Detroit and Minneapolis could host a game, that's a moot point. I'm sure Dan Snyder would commission every snow plow on the East Coast to clear the roads to ensure a packed house.

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