PM Update: A Comfortable Evening & Cool Night

Partly sunny, still rather cool (for July) on Thursday

* El Nino & Hurricanes | An Amazing D.C. Fireworks Show *

Lots of sunshine -- and that we sit near the warmest part of the calendar year -- made little impact today as north-and-northwest winds bring dry and relatively cool conditions. Dew points today have been all the way down into the 40s across much of the area while highs rise to near 80, a combination almost unheard of this time of year. Summer softball, kickball and other outdoor activities rarely feel so sweet in July.

Webcam: Latest view of D.C. from the Netherlands Carillon at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy National Park Service. Refresh page to update. See this image bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: Look for partly cloudy skies this evening with readings falling toward the mid-70s by sunset. The rest of the night should be mostly clear with temperatures entering rarified air for July in some of the suburbs. Overnight lows should range from the mid-50s in the coolest spots to nearer the mid-60s downtown.

Tomorrow (Thursday): We've bottled up the below-average temperatures and will release more of the same on Thursday. Expect mostly sunny skies early, transitioning cloudier late, as temperatures only rise toward the lower 80s most spots. Humidity may come up a bit with an onshore flow, but it remains low overall. An isolated shower is possible during the afternoon and evening.

See Dan Stillman's full forecast through the weekend. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Shuttle Launch: NASA is due to launch space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday at 7:39 p.m. EDT -- the weather may have other plans. A stationary front has been hung up over portions of Florida and it could stick around through the weekend. Currently, NASA forecasters only give a 40 percent chance the launch happens on schedule. Midday weather models (GFS/NAM) are split on precipitation chances, but perhaps a bit more optimistic.