If there was a chance that demonstrating against Mother Nature could change the weather, now would be the time for an end-the-drought march on the National Mall. Since Jan. 1, National and BWI airports are more than 8 inches below normal in precipitation, and Dulles more than 12. But protest all you want. The dryness --
threatening water supplies,
causing leaves to fall early and
increasing fire risk -- will continue, unless a hard-to-predict coastal low forms and affects us later in the week.
Today
Delightful. Today will pretty much be a carbon copy of yesterday -- mostly sunny with highs 75-80. Winds will be light from the southeast at 5-10 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy with lows near 60 in town, mid 50s in the burbs.
The Upcoming Week at a Glance
Warmest Day: Sunday, 87.
Coolest Day: Tuesday, 75.
Rain Chances: Late Wednesday and Thursday
Dry Days: Today and Tomorrow, Friday-Sunday.
The Week's Wild Card: Will a coastal low develop to our south and will it move close enough to give us a chance of showers late Wednesday into Thursday?
Average High/Low: 73-71/55-53
Tuesday
Clouds tease, but continued dry. A more easterly (onshore) flow is likely to spawn considerable clouds. But the chances of any rain falling from them are slim to none. We'll call it partly to sometimes mostly cloudy with highs in the mid 70s (some upper 70s with enough breaks of sunshine). Overnight, partly cloudy with lows in the low-to-mid 60s in town, upper 50s to near 60 in the burbs.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy, showers late? We'll be watching a low-pressure system trying to form along the North Carolina-South Carolina coast. For Wednesday at least, it looks like most associated precip would stay well south. That would leave us with a partly cloudy day, highs in the mid 70s to near 80, and only a slight chance of late-day showers mainly to the south. Overnight, our weather will depend on if and where that coastal low forms, and if it can make any progress to the north, all of which is quite uncertain at this point. For now, let's say partly to mostly cloudy with only a slight chance of showers, mainly to the south, and lows from the upper 50s in the burbs to the mid 60s downtown.
Thursday
Partly cloudy, showers? We may see a continued chance of showers -- that is if the coastal low even forms and moves our way in the first place. Otherwise, look for partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s. Overnight, partly cloudy with lows in the low-to-mid 60s in town, mid 50s to near 60 in the burbs.
Friday-Sunday
Probably partly to mostly sunny, warm and dry. There's still an outside possibility that low-pressure activity along or off the coast may alter this forecast as the week goes on. But right now I'd say odds are the Friday-Sunday period will be marked by partly to mostly sunny skies with highs in the 80s and little or no chance of rain. Overnight lows in the 60s.