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Forecast: Warm weather to stage short comeback
Spotty showers in the mix this weekend
* NatCast: Winning weather | Dazzling D.C. photos *
* Outside now? Radar, temps & more: Weather Wall *
Hang up the jackets and break out the shorts. 80 will feel extra nice after the chilly weather. Today: Sunny. 79-82. | Tonight: Clear and calm. 54-60. | Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. 84-87. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail
FORECAST IN DETAIL
By David Streit, CWG Meteorologist
For those of you who refused to turn your heat on the past few days, your reward is finally here. Today turns out slightly warmer than normal and best of all humidity won't be a factor. Tomorrow checks in warmer and muggier but it will feel good to many after the recent cool snap and will only stick around one day. Temperatures cool off a little this weekend, ranking close to perfection in the pleasant 70s. The only problem is the risk of showers Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Today (Thursday): Temperatures rise quickly and humidity does not, my favorite. Sunny skies and very light breezes from the north make this an outdoorsy day. Morning readings in the 60s jump to the 70s with warmer spots peaking in the lower 80s. Confidence: High
Tonight: Mostly clear and calm conditions allow temperatures to slip from the upper 70s to the upper 60s during the evening. That should keep the sidewalk café tables busy. Overnight lows slip to the 50s in most spots - but only to 60 or so downtown. Confidence: High
Keep reading for the forecast through Monday....
Tomorrow (Friday): Another rapid warm up pushes readings from the 60s through the 70s in the morning. Mid-to-upper 80s reign supreme in the afternoon. Humidity levels slip higher but nothing like the heart of summer. Breezes barely whisper from the south. Blue skies do give way to some high clouds by afternoon. Confidence: High
Tomorrow Night: This promises to be a warm evening so dress lightly as those 80s only grudgingly fall into the 70s, with 60s reserved for the after midnight crowd. Clouds increase but dry weather prevails. Confidence: High
Saturday gets tricky as a weakening storm in the Midwest approaches. This keeps skies mostly cloudy and raises the threat of widely scattered, light showers (40% chance) by mid-day and through the evening. Keeping with our drier than normal year so far, this is probably no washout. Temperatures are pleasant enough with highs in the mid-70s. Confidence: Medium
Some breaks in the clouds are expected Sunday (especially in the morning) but there's a 40% risk of showers and thundershowers in the afternoon. Temperatures are nice though, starting the day in the lower 60s and reaching the mid-70s by early afternoon. Odds are that the evening will be dry but keep the umbrella handy just in case. Confidence: Medium
We won't be able to entirely shake the cloud cover Monday with breezes coming in from the northeast, keeping a moist fetch off the Atlantic. No rain is expected. Temperatures remain enjoyable with mid-70s dominant. Confidence: Low-Medium
By
David Streit
| May 20, 2010; 5:00 AM ET
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Posted by: forget@menot.com | May 20, 2010 9:26 AM | Report abuse
A beautiful morning, no?
Posted by: CapitalWeatherGang | May 20, 2010 9:29 AM | Report abuse
Great morning. Had a nice run on the Mall. Sun was out and warmed me up while the cool air quickly cooled me down. Can't wait til next week and what looks to be a nice warm pattern setting up.
Posted by: ThinkSpring | May 20, 2010 10:16 AM | Report abuse
This morning on WTOP radio, Doug Hill said that the computer models show that there's a good chance of a "long string of warm sunny days" beginning around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Posted by: rmm999 | May 20, 2010 11:54 AM | Report abuse
@rmm999 -
Woo-hoo! Bring it on!
Posted by: ThinkSpring | May 20, 2010 12:40 PM | Report abuse
Recuperating, but still feeling some pain from oral surgery.
Biggest downer, though, is that Tom Skilling's "noon" weathercast has been bumped for an "early" Cubs game [Thank heavens they're not playing the Nats!] Wish WGN would hold off on the baseball until 2 PM.
The sunny weather is an improvement...but I might not agree with NWS on the "enhanced" chance of rain Sunday. The problem seems to be that the low pressure moving in on Saturday appears to be "washing out" on Sunday's weather map, and is being replaced by high pressure building in from the east and southeast [Bermuda High?]. This could cause the rain to dissipate though easterly flow this time of year could bring in raw cloudy weather rather than the sunshine I'd be hoping for.
My guess is that the rain could fizzle out as early as the predawn hours Sunday. I just don't see how we can get afternoon convection on Sunday if there's high pressure building in. Even a moist easterly flow would suppress convection if it leads to cloudy, raw weather. The building high pressure should also serve to "cap" the atmosphere, further suppressing convection.
Posted by: Bombo47jea | May 20, 2010 1:29 PM | Report abuse
Beautiful morning & a beautiful afternoon.
Wear your sunblock.
Posted by: FIREDRAGON47 | May 20, 2010 2:23 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.
Re: Today: YAAAAAAAAYYYY!
(If I'm going to whine and moan when the weather is cold and rainy, I can celebrate when it's supposed to be warm -- not hot! -- and sunny out.)