Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C.-area forecast: Heat returns today; scorching Friday to Monday

Sunset, Manassas National Battlefield, July 19, 2016. (John Ernst via Flickr)

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

5/10: Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting fried and crispy

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Mostly sunny, hot. Highs: 88-92.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, becoming more muggy. Lows: 67-74.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, hot, and humid. Highs: 94-99.

View the current weather conditions at The Washington Post headquarters.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

Here we go again. After our brief little reprieve, it’s time to ramp up the heat for what could be the hottest weekend of our summer. A big burst of mid-continent heat is racing into the region and could linger a bit into early next week. We run the risk of garden-variety thunderstorms at times to provide brief relief, but we still have a decent shot of hitting the century mark between Friday and Monday. And even when we don’t hit 100, the heat indices will likely get there as fairly oppressive humidity overtakes the area starting Friday.

Today (Thursday): Today is our stepping stone toward the next wave of heat as temperatures move up to around 90 degrees for high temperatures with mostly sunny skies and steadily building humidity (reaching moderate levels with middle to upper 60s dew points by this afternoon). Light winds from the west shift to come from the south especially by afternoon. Confidence: High

Tonight: Just a few clouds as increased humidity offers a muggier feel and lows range from the upper half of the 60s in the suburbs to the lower or even middle 70s in the city. Light winds again blow from the south. Confidence: High

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Tomorrow (Friday): Mostly sunny, hot and very humid. Heat indices surge over 100 by late morning and through the afternoon hours as highs reach the middle to upper 90s with a few spots potentially hitting 100. A few extra clouds in the afternoon could offer brief breaks along with the slight chance of a lone shower or thundershower. Light winds from the south and west. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy, very warm and humid again with lows in the 70s but potentially holding near 80 right in the city. We still run the slight chance of an isolated shower or storm. Confidence: High

A LOOK AHEAD

The heat continues Saturday with middle to upper 90s under partly to mostly sunny skies along with oppressive humidity levels. Be very careful with outdoor activities (limit their time and stay very hydrated). Saturday night keeps the air thick and stagnant with heavy humidity and lows in the 70s to around 80 again, but a stray thunderstorm is possible. Confidence: High

Sunday should see more hot and humid weather, but we need to watch a possible back-door cool front issue from the north and east that could lower our humidity and temperatures a touch. For now, we think it stays to our north with middle to upper 90s, moderate to high humidity, and widely scattered afternoon to evening thunderstorm chances. Sunday night aims for partly cloudy skies, an isolated shower or storm is possible and lows are again in the 70s mainly. Confidence: Low-Medium

Monday could be another very hot day with middle to upper 90s, high humidity, and a few spots touching 100 potentially. We could get saved in the afternoon a bit by some increase in clouds late in the day along with scattered showers and storms. Confidence: Medium

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