Capital Weather Gang - DC area weather blog, news - July 20, 2008

Update: Isolated Storms Popping Up

A few thunderstorms have developed northwest of the District (in Frederick County). These storms should move southeast and affect Montgomery County between 7 and 8 p.m., and then possibly head towards northwest D.C. and Prince George's County between 8 and 9 p.m. Heavy rain, gusty winds and small hail are...

By Jason Samenow | July 26, 2008; 6:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Updates
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Photography: Thunderstorm Cloud Tops

The sun is setting behind the anvil top of cumulonimbus clouds last Sunday evening. This photo was taken from Laurel, Md.. Last Sunday evening, I was leaving a swim meet in Laurel, Md. and I noticed towering thunderstorm clouds on the western horizon. Rays of sunlight and shadows appeared above...

By Kevin Ambrose | July 26, 2008; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Thunderstorms
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Forecast: Late Storms to Become the Norm

Becoming more humid For the next several days, a nearby front will help to spark some scattered late afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Outside of the storms, it will be partly sunny, with temperatures climbing towards 90 each afternoon. In other words, count on pretty typical mid-summer weather. TODAY (SATURDAY) Mostly...

By Jason Samenow | July 26, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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CommuteCast: Heat Settles Back Into Area

Hot and more humid Saturday Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. We're statistically in the warmest part of the year, so any respites in heat are usually short-lived. Today, the heat returned, but the humidity...

By Ian Livingston | July 25, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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When Hurricanes Go Extratropical

In a recent post, I recounted the unusual redevelopment of the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin over Oklahoma in August 2007, a few days after it had made landfall along the Texas coast. This inland "ghost" of Erin did not fit the criteria of any traditional storm type -- tropical,...

By Steve Tracton | July 25, 2008; 11:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Tracton, Tropical Weather
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Where are the Veggies?

"...this year the crops are at least two weeks behind schedule in some parts of Maryland because of massive rainstorms and cold weather this spring." From today's Post article: "Farmers Who Once Longed for Rain Now Swamped With Crop Problems"...

By Jason Samenow | July 25, 2008; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Local Climate
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Forecast: Storm Chances to Return, But Not Today

As hot as it will be today, you will not think it oppressive. Humidity will not accompany the heat until tomorrow and Sunday. Rain will stay out of the picture today, but storms will threaten over the weekend. TODAY (FRIDAY) Mostly sunny. Around 90. Light winds from the south will...

By Camden Walker | July 25, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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CommuteCast: A Much-Deserved Break

Typical July heat returns tomorrow Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. Following storms yesterday, and hot temperatures of the last week, today has shaped up quite pleasantly across the area. An occasionally gusty northwest wind...

By Ian Livingston | July 24, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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Can You Take the Heat?

Wx and the City By Ann Posegate Squishy, gushy, ooey-gooey, slimy-whimy, and disgusting. This is how a group of fourth-graders described the process of dissecting clams on a field trip I helped to teach on the Anacostia River last year. For some reason, these are the first words that come...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 24, 2008; 12:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Extreme Heat, Posegate, Wx and the City
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Dolly Deals a Downpour

Watch the ferocity of the wind and the rain as Hurricane Dolly strikes South Padre Island, Texas, yesterday in this amateur video (posted to YouTube)....

By Jason Samenow | July 24, 2008; 10:45 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Tropical Weather
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Forecast: A Brief Breath of Bearable Air

Humidity, thunderstorm chances increase this weekend In the wake of last night's deluge and recent humidity, the weather for the next 36 hours will be a welcome treat. Sunshine returns and humidity levels drop from oppressive to tolerable (or even comfortable, relatively speaking). But the weekend promises to bring an...

By Josh Larson | July 24, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Forecasts
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Update: Flooding Concerns Continue

*Flash Flood Warning through 12:30 a.m. for D.C., central and eastern Fairfax County, Prince George's County, eastern Prince William County and Stafford County.* 11 p.m. update: Showers and thunderstorms continue to produce moderate to sometimes heavy rain across the metro area east of Loudoun County. Flooding is a significant threat...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 23, 2008; 11:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (72)
Categories: Updates
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UnitedCast: Third Time the Charm?

United vs. Houston Dynamo
Tonight, 7:30 p.m., RFK Stadium

Kickoff	Final Whistle	Weather	Chance of Rain
80F	75F	Rainy; Severe?	70%

Only twice in its history has a United home game been postponed (those soccer dudes play through almost anything). Both times have come this season, against the Houston Dynamo. The first attempt to play this game, on June 4, was suspended due to severe weather, and Take 2 bit the dust last night due to a power outage (not weather-related) at RFK. Rain is likely during tonight's third attempt. But will any storms be severe enough to stop play? Certainly not out of the question.

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

By Dan Stillman | July 23, 2008; 6:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: UnitedCast
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CommuteCast: Showers Lurk; Some Storms Tonight

*Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect Until 11 p.m.* *Flash Flood Watch in Effect Through Thursday Morning* 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? An area of moderate rain has lurked north and...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 23, 2008; 3:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Forecasts
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Dolly Makes Landfall in Texas; Winds Near 95 MPH

*Damage reports include uprooted trees, a toppled roof and downed power lines* Radar: Latest radar loop of Hurricane Dolly. Courtesy National Weather Service. Click on image to expand. Refresh page to update. Hurricane Dolly has made landfall along the southern Texas coast, and according to the National Hurricane Center is...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 23, 2008; 3:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Tropical Weather
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Forecast: Sweaty With Storms. Some Severe?

Becoming sunny and less humid tomorrow *Flash Flood Watch in Effect From 4 p.m. Through Late Tonight* Several ingredients are in place that could spark some strong storms today. These include warm air, high humidity, an approaching cold front, and the jet stream dipping toward our area from the northwest....

By Dan Stillman | July 23, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Forecasts
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Update: Storms Linger Overnight; More Tomorrow

12:20 a.m.: More showers and storms are approaching from the southwest and may impact the region during the overnight hours. The most concentrated area of storms is likely to skirt northwest of the metro area, but isolated to scattered storms are still possible for D.C. and its immediate suburbs, with...

By Jason Samenow | July 23, 2008; 12:20 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Updates
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CommuteCast: Steamy Not Yet Stormy

Heavy t'storms possible tonight, tomorrow 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? Storms late this morning caught many of us by surprise and generated a welcome reprieve from the stifling heat. The...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 22, 2008; 3:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Forecasts
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Rate a Radar

Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect until 4 p.m. east of the Chesapeake Bay. See earlier post for more info and radar. Of all the tools in the weather tool box, I bet radar ranks as the most useful for anyone who has a stake in the weather. The ability to...

By Jason Samenow | July 22, 2008; 11:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Technology
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Alert: Watch, Warnings Issued as Storms Move In

UPDATE: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in effect for St. Mary's and Calvert Counties until 11:45 a.m., and for Talbot County until 12:15 p.m. Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect until 4 p.m. for Fairfax and Montgomery Counties, the District, and points east. Strong storms are moving into the immediate metro area. Heavy...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 22, 2008; 10:02 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Alerts, Thunderstorms
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Forecast: Cooler Air Almost There

We are just hours away from what should be our last 90-degree readings of this week. Believe it or not, after what will be seven straight days above the 90-degree threshold, we are finally seeing the end to this July heat wave and introducing a period of relatively cooler and...

By Matt Rogers | July 22, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Forecasts
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UnitedCast: Kicking Up a Few Storms

United vs. Houston Dynamo
Tonight, 7:30 p.m., RFK Stadium

Kickoff	Final Whistle	Weather	Chance of Rain
90F	86F	Muggy	35%

It will be muggy. Best thunderstorm chances should be after the game but be ready for rain just in case.

By Matt Rogers | July 22, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: UnitedCast
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The Tropics are Hot

By Charlie Wilson, Guest Contributor The tropical Atlantic has heated up with two named storms and one that has the potential for development over the next several days. Projected track of Tropical Storm Cristobal. Click to enlarge. Courtesy National Hurricane Center. Close to home, at 5 p.m. EDT, Tropical Storm...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 21, 2008; 6:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Tropical Weather
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CommuteCast: Taking the Heat

Hot tomorrow, storms threaten late 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. Humidity levels dropped a hair today (was is noticeable to you?), but the heat has been...

By Capital Weather Gang | July 21, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Forecasts
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Freedman: First Half of 2008 Was Warm Worldwide

The weather so far in 2008 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and across much of the globe, has been warmer than average, government climate data shows. This should come as no surprise, since above average temperatures are expected with global warming. What is especially interesting, though, is the persistence of the...

By Andrew Freedman | July 21, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Climate Change, Freedman
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Forecast: Two More Days of Big Heat

Our streak of consecutive 90+ degree days grows to six as we endure another scorcher today. On the plus side, the streak may end at seven tomorrow with modest relief mid-to-late week. The other piece of good news is that between Tuesday and Thursday, we should pick up some...

By Jason Samenow | July 21, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Forecasts
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Update: Evening T'storms to Rumble Through

A line of thunderstorms will roll through the area between 7:30 and 10 p.m. The main threat with these storms will be gusty winds, heavy downpours and lightning. The storms should arrive in western Montgomery County around 8 p.m., western Fairfax County by 8:15 p.m., inside the beltway between 8:30...

By Jason Samenow | July 20, 2008; 7:25 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Updates
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Conan O'Brien on NBC Buying Weather Channel

Very funny....

By Jason Samenow | July 20, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Humor, Media
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Forecast: Still Hotter Yet

By Brian Jackson We see no relief from the oppressive heat and humidity today. In fact, today may well bring the worst of it. With Tropical Storm Cristobal off the North Carolina coast and a front to our west, the air will sink in the middle bumping our temperatures up...

By Brian Jackson | July 20, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Forecasts
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Capital Weather Gang: July 20, 2008 - July 26, 2008