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D.C.-area forecast: More humid today with late-day scattered storms; nice weather tomorrow into weekend

September 8, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
Yesterday's sunrise from Alexandria. (Lee M./Flickr)

Today’s daily digit

A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of zero to 10.

6/10: Slightly hotter and noticeably more humid than Tuesday. Storm chances rear their ugly head, but most should hold off until closer to evening.

Express forecast

  • Today: Partly sunny, more humid, isolated storm? Highs: Upper 80s.
  • Tonight: Scattered evening storms likely. Lows: Mid- to upper 60s.
  • Tomorrow: Partly sunny, decreasing humidity. Highs: Upper 70s to low 80s.

Forecast in detail

Today is really the only blip in an otherwise pretty terrific weather week. While perhaps a touch hotter, you’ll mainly notice the higher humidity today, along with a chance of storms especially toward and during the evening. Once we clear out tomorrow morning’s early clouds, it’s clear sailing straight through Saturday, with cooler air and lower humidity before a warmer Sunday.

Today (Wednesday): It is only slightly hotter than yesterday, with highs heading for the upper 80s under partly sunny skies. But the humidity is noticeably higher, with dew points in the mid-60s and a breeze from the south around 10 mph with some higher gusts. Can’t rule out an isolated shower or storm during the day, but the better chance of storms should wait until closer to evening. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: The chance of scattered showers and storms increases as we get into the evening, especially after 6 p.m. or so. Some storms could be severe with damaging winds and/or hail. Storms should diminish during the overnight hours with mostly cloudy skies as lows fall back to the mid-to-upper 60s. Confidence: Medium

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Tomorrow (Thursday): Morning clouds should break up enough for a partly sunny day, with gradually decreasing humidity because of a drying breeze from the northwest. Temperatures are somewhat cooler as well, with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: The humidity continues to decrease, with dew points dropping into the 50s, which along with mostly clear skies means cooler overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s. Confidence: Medium-High

A look ahead

High pressure dominates Friday through Sunday, with mostly sunny skies and generally lower humidity. Friday and Saturday should see highs continue in the upper 70s to low 80s. Sunday heats up to the mid- to upper 80s, but with only slightly higher humidity. Lows on Friday and Saturday nights range from the upper 50s to mid-60s. Confidence: Medium-High