Capital Weather Gang - DC area weather blog, news - June 29, 2008

Photography: Fireworks Over Iwo Jima

By Ian Livingston and Kevin Ambrose The first fireworks of the undelayed Washington, D.C. show last night. By Ian Livingston The saying goes "great minds think alike", and if at all true, then hopefully it is good news for us. Out of the roughly half-million people attending D.C. fourth of...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 5, 2008; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fourth of July, Photography
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Forecast: Storm Risk Sticks Around

The weather we experienced yesterday represents a pretty good indicator of what to expect the rest of the weekend: Partly to mostly cloudy skies, warm, humid air, and increasing shower and thunderstorm chances during the afternoon and evening. This kind of weather shouldn't entirely kill outdoor plans, but may...

By Jason Samenow | July 5, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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Update: Pack the Umbrella, Watch for Lightning

*30-30 Rule: Seek shelter if the length of time between a lightning flash and its subsequent thunder is 30 seconds or less, and remain under cover until 30 minutes after the final clap of thunder. More lightning safety.* Wish I had better news, but don't kill the messenger, ok? Showers...

By Dan Stillman | July 4, 2008; 2:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fourth of July, Updates
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Forecast: Rain, Lightning a July 4th Threat

Happy July 4th! Regrettably, for the fourth time in the last five years, showers and thunderstorms risk dampening, if not dousing, Independence Day outdoor activities. To make matters worse, the storm potential persists throughout the entire holiday weekend. Several inches of rain may fall between today and Sunday night....

By Jason Samenow | July 4, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts, Fourth of July
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July 4th: A Chance of Storms at Fireworks Time

Wouldn't ya know it?... Shower and thunderstorm chances have returned to the forecast just in time for the Fourth. The culprit is a cold front that will be approaching from the northwest. Late afternoon and evening tomorrow, including during fireworks, looks to be the timing for any precipitation. For...

By Dan Stillman | July 3, 2008; 6:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Fourth of July
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CommuteCast: Heat Returns with Humidity

Natural fireworks to visit on the 4th? Current D.C. area temperatures, courtesy Weather Bonk. Map by Google. Hover over and click temperatures for more info. Click and hold on map to pan. Refresh page to update. Sure signs of summer are all around -- heat, haze and humidity, tourists, tropical...

By Ian Livingston | July 3, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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Photography: Storm Chasing the Tidal Basin

A combination of sheet lightning and lightning bolts sets an artistic backdrop for the Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin during Monday evening's storms. This photo was taken on the west side of the Tidal Basin. Storm chasing in our area is particularly challenging due to the traffic and the obscured...

By Kevin Ambrose | July 3, 2008; 1:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Photography
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At Least There's No Smoke in Our Forecast

Orange depicts eastern N.C. fire locations as derived by NASA's MODIS satellite. Grey denotes areas that will likely see elevated pollution levels today and potentially smoke inundation. Courtesy N.C. Division of Air Quality. Here in the D.C. area, some folks are probably disappointed at the threat of thunderstorms for July...

By Dan Stillman | July 3, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fire
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Forecast: Typical D.C. Summer Weather Returns

Thunderstorm chances for the 4th and weekend. Did you really think it would last? A more southerly flow will put an end to our brief respite from heat and humidity. In its place over the next several days will be more typical D.C. summer weather: temperatures ranging from warm to...

By Josh Larson | July 3, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Forecasts
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BeachCast: A Sunny 4th, Then Clouding Up

Sunshine and warm temperatures should support a full day at the Delaware and Maryland beaches on Friday, with only a slight chance of a shower or thundershower around fireworks time. Clouds and rain chances increase for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, while temperatures turn slightly cooler. But no day is expected...

By Dan Stillman | July 3, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Beachcast
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CommuteCast: Dry and Mild

Warmer Thursday as humidity returns Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. July continues to show off its best as yet another beautiful and humidity-free day unfolds across the area. Temperatures are rising to highs mostly...

By Ian Livingston | July 2, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Forecasts
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Is It Hotter Than Hell?

Before anyone complains about the use of a "bad" word on the Capital Weather Gang blog, let the record show I'm referring to a real town -- Hell, Michigan -- located in in the southeast corner of the state (population 70). If D.C. records hotter temperatures than Hell, Michigan, over...

By Jason Samenow | July 2, 2008; 2:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Contests
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Pigeon Weather

Wx and the City By Ann Posegate, Guest Contributor Graphic courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Have you thanked your local pigeon racer today? I recently learned that there is, indeed, a hobby called pigeon racing. And, pigeon races are affected by both Earth and space weather. As hospital employees...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 2, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Nature, Posegate, Wx and the City
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Forecast: Will Fine Weather Last the Fourth?

Nice today. But what about that front on the way? Already, friends and family from far and wide are on their way to Washington for the holiday weekend. But it's a traveler meandering through the Upper Midwest today that piques our interest most. Because by tomorrow, our old friend the...

By Dan Stillman | July 2, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Forecasts
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Photography: Judging Weather Photos

Photo entries in the 2008 Weatherwise photo contest. A week ago last Thursday, I was one of the judges in the Weatherwise annual photo contest. Other judges included Bob Ryan, Chief Meteorologist of WRC-TV, and Doyle Rice, Chief Weather Editor of USA Today. We judged dozens of impressive photos of...

By Kevin Ambrose | July 1, 2008; 6:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Photography
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CommuteCast: A Shower or Thundershower

Warm and dry on Wednesday Radar: Latest mid-Atlantic radar loop from the National Weather Service. Click on image to expand, or here to zoom. Refresh page to update. What's UTC? July started on a beautiful note today, helping us move beyond the severe weather onslaught of June. Temperatures are now...

By Ian Livingston | July 1, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Forecasts
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June Recap: Spectacularly Stormy

Storm reports in Md. during June. Courtesy NOAA's Storm Prediction Center What did June 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, and 30 have in common at Reagan National Airport (DCA)? Thunderstorms occurred on all of these days. In fact, thunderstorms happened twice on June...

By Jason Samenow | July 1, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Local Climate, Recaps
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Forecast: A First Class Kind of Day

But Fourth of July outlook may require seat belts After several days of heat, humidity, and some severe thunderstorms, the skies are finally turning friendly today. There may be a bump or two during the afternoon with an isolated shower or thunderstorm, but the big story will be lower humidities...

By Matt Rogers | July 1, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Forecasts
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July 4th Forecast: Late-Day Storm Threat

Yesterday, I thought a cold front approaching the area Thursday would push through overnight, possibly giving us a dry and pleasant 4th of July. No such luck. Said front will slow down and remain just to our west Friday helping to trigger scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening...

By Jason Samenow | July 1, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Fourth of July
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More Showers and Storms

10:15 PM update: Storms are now exiting Prince George's County and entering Anne Arundel County where there's now a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect until 11:00 p.m. (along with northeast Prince George's County, where storms remain). These storms will move towards the Bay in the next half hour and that...

By Ian Livingston | June 30, 2008; 10:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (36)
Categories: Forecasts
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Freedman: Why Is James Hansen So Worried?

James Hansen, the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, has had it with policymakers' lack of progress to address global climate change, and he is not afraid to let them know it. In commemoration of landmark climate change testimony he gave in 1988, which first...

By Andrew Freedman | June 30, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Climate Change, Freedman
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Forecast: Humidity and Storminess Exit Stage Right

The daily showing of heat, humidity and strong afternoon storms has come to a close. There are rumors a thunderstorm may try to make an encore performance today, but at least the heat and humidity have hit the road. And starting tomorrow, a new show featuring comfortable temperatures and...

By Jason Samenow | June 30, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Forecasts
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Fourth of July Outlook: Sunny or Stormy?

The big forecast question for Independence Day is whether or not a cold front approaching the region Thursday night will move far enough to the east Friday to give us dry weather. Current guidance suggests we'll probably be in the clear, but summer fronts can be sluggish so the...

By Jason Samenow | June 30, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Fourth of July
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Alert: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Until 2 A.M.

12:30 a.m. update: The Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been extended until 2 a.m. While no warnings are currently in effect, one thunderstorm is impacting northwest Montgomery County and another storm (in Culpeper and Rappahannock County) now heading into Fauquier County could affect the immediate metro area between 1:00 and 2:00...

By Capital Weather Gang | June 30, 2008; 12:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (32)
Categories: Alerts
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Forecast: Storms Likely, Threat of Early Fireworks

By Brian Jackson This weekend comes to a stormy end today as a cold front once again approaches the metro area. This will be the focus for developing thunderstorms this afternoon, some of which could pack quite a punch. Be wary. Temperatures will remain warm today, reaching the upper 80s....

By Brian Jackson | June 29, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Forecasts
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NatCast: Late-Inning Storms?

Nationals vs. Orioles
Today, 1:35 p.m., Nationals Park

First Pitch	9th Inning	Weather	Chance of Rain
86F	87F	Humid, Possible Storms	40%

Just as in the past two games, a thunderstorm-induced rain delay is possible -- particularly during the late innings. Let's hope the storms hold until after the game.

NatCast appears on the day of every Nationals home game. Also, see our full forecast into early next week.

By Jason Samenow | June 29, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: NatCast
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UnitedCast: Humid, Slight Storm Threat

United vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
Today, 12:00 p.m., RFK Stadium

Kickoff	Final Whistle	Weather	Chance of Rain
82F	87F	Mostly cloudy, humid	25%

The noon start time may save you from being impacted by late-afternoon or evening storms (although an early storm can't be ruled out), but it will put you in the thick of the heat and humidity. Drink plenty of water.

UnitedCast appears on the day of every United home game. Also, see our full forecast through the middle of next week.

By Jason Samenow | June 29, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: UnitedCast
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Capital Weather Gang: June 29, 2008 - July 5, 2008