PM Update: A Pleasantly Cool Evening and Night

Rain arrives by midday Sat., possibly significant late

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Morning showers gave way to increased clearing this afternoon and it looks like we will see breaks last into evening. A north and northeast wind, which got started late yesterday, has pumped in much cooler air. Today's highs are ranging from near 70 to mid-70s -- cooler where clouds are thicker. Enjoy the brief breaks in the clouds and precipitation, it won't last too long.

Radar: Latest D.C. area radar loop shows movement of precipitation over past two hours. Powered by HAMweather. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall.

Through Tonight: Evening temperature will cool into and through the 60s as some breaks in the clouds persist. We'll transition back to mostly cloudy overnight as lows range from the lower 50s in the coolest spots to around 60 downtown. We should stay dry through the night.

Tomorrow (Saturday): If you don't mind clouds and cool temperatures, the morning may be salvageable on Saturday. Otherwise, it is looking quite rainy around here. By midday, rain should be into western parts of the area and spreading east. Rain will keep temperatures down, highs probably only reach the mid-to-upper 60s. Periods of rain, occasionally moderate to heavy, should last through evening and into the night.

Storm totals will potentially range from 1-2", with some higher amounts possible.

See Camden Walker's full forecast through the beginning of next week. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

2009 Air Quality: My CWG colleague, Ann Posegate, sent over a great link to read about air quality and smog stories. The most recent update, regarding air quality in the United States this summer, is some good news. Many cities, including in this area, observed 80 percent fewer days when ozone reached unhealthy levels compared to recent years. The reason? Weather played a big factor, thanks to unusually active storm patterns across the country which helped keep the atmosphere well mixed. Check out the whole site.