The last August sunrise, 2010

* Becoming hot, but cooler late week: Full Forecast | NatCast *
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A gull glides over the Reflecting Pool at sunrise on August 31.

The sky was clear as I walked by the Lincoln Memorial during the early morning of August 31 . The summer haze, which is often visible along the horizon during August, was absent. The air temperature was 71 degrees, not quite cool, but it felt very pleasant. A light breeze rippled the surface of the water on the Reflecting Pool. The temperature would later hit 96 degrees at National Airport at 3PM, but during the pre-dawn hour there was no sign of the day's impending heat.

I set up two cameras, a video camera and a DSLR camera, at the edge of the Reflecting Pool and waited for the sunrise. It would not be long before these sunrise shoots would be chilly, or down right cold, as fall approaches. But, for August 31, the weather was ideal.

Keep reading to see more photos and a time lapse video of the sunrise.

Time lapse sunrise on August 31. Over 90 minutes of video has been compressed into 28 seconds.

Dawn in Washington, August 31.

Ghost-like images on the wall at the Korean War Memorial, August 31. The bright images are the reflections of the statues, illuminated with the light of sunrise.

The first light of sunrise shines upon the Lincoln Memorial, August 31.