Capital Weather Gang from The Washington Post

Daily forecast for the Washington area

D.C. area forecast: Muggy, cloudy, and showery today but a pretty nice weekend ahead

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

6/10: TGIF bonus point helps boost a muggy, meh day. Fog, clouds and a shower/storm chance. It could be worse!

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: PM shower/storm chance. Highs: 80-85.
Tonight: Cloudy, decreasing humidity. Lows: 60s.
Tomorrow: Sunnier, comfortable. Highs: Low-to-mid 80s.
Sunday: Sunny. Highs: Mid-to-upper 80s.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

After mugginess and clouds today and through tonight, Saturday’s sunnier and fairly comfortable conditions may be the weather star of the weekend. Get outside if you can, since Sunday’s sunshine comes with almost-hot air, but nothing too oppressive. Next week we may get a weak cold front trying to move through, which means increased humidity again and a chance of storms as we get back to work.

Today (Friday): Muggy and very cloudy. Perhaps a (20 percent) chance of an early shower, or some fog and drizzle. As we head through midday and into the late afternoon especially, we have about a 40 percent chance of more showers or storms. A cold pocket of air aloft is swinging through. We don’t think rain will be too heavy or storms too strong, but probably a good idea to carry an umbrella with you. Low-to-mid 80s are about as high as we get for afternoon high temperatures. A northeasterly breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: It’s still looking muggy, especially in the evening, but at least temperatures head down through the 70s quick. There’s a chance of a shower or storm early, but mainly it’s just cloudy. Northeasterly breezes around 5 to 10 mph are slow to die down. Pre-dawn low temperatures may hover in the mid-to-upper 60s around and inside the Beltway. Perhaps a few readings in the low 60s in the cooler, clearer spots well outside of the city. Confidence: Medium-High

For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast into next week.

nice day

Tomorrow (Saturday): Get outside! Skies are going to do their best to clear, and so I hesitantly issue a Nice Day Stamp. More likely to be within criteria are the slowly dropping dew points, light 5 mph easterly breezes, and decent summer temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s. Enjoy your plans outdoors. Confidence: Medium

Tomorrow night: Just a few clouds and only the lightest breezes. By just before dawn, low temperatures should bottom out near 60 degrees outside of the Beltway, with mid-60s likely downtown. Confidence: High

DC sky (Taken June 22 by Jim Havard via our CWG Flickr page)

A LOOK AHEAD

Sunday: Very warm mid-to-upper 80s are possible but it’s more of that “dry heat.” That means somewhat comfortable dew points in the 50s and relatively low relative humidity. This can help make it tolerable if you have to walk on the sunny side of the street. And it’s probably very sunny. Wear that sunscreen and those sunglasses. Stay hydrated. Dry heat can be a bit sneaky, since your sweat evaporates more easily — your personal water deficit can hit you even without being covered in sweat! Confidence: Medium-High

Sunday night: Some folks may still venture to keep the windows open but muggier air may be moving in as the night progresses. Low temperatures could get into the mid-60s downtown, near-to-around 60 degrees outside of the Beltway. Confidence: Medium

It’s a bit humid with possible thundershowers on Monday as a weak cold front slowly approaches from the west. High temperatures still manage to get into the mid-to-upper 80s, with a 30 percent chance of getting wet. We’ll watch rain amounts and timing as we get closer. Confidence: Medium

Tuesday may be similarly sticky and humid, as this weak cold front finally tries to push through. With polar air locked in at high latitudes (northern Canada) this time of year, we basically just get a wind shift that brings in slightly drier air if we’re lucky. Partly sunny skies may be the best we can do since shower and storms are 40-50 percent likely to pop-up throughout the region. High temperatures may top out near 90 to low 90s. Confidence: Medium

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