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Today: Mostly sunny. Upper 70s to near 80. | Tonight: Mostly clear. 50s to near 60. | Tomorrow: Partly sunny to mostly cloudy. 70s to near 80. | A Look Ahead | Get Express Forecast by E-mail

A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10


Saturday fun in the warm sun, with low humidity. Gotta love it! Get the Digit on Twitter| Discuss on Facebook

Today is about as sweet as it gets around here in mid-May, or really anytime of the year. The same can’t be said starting tomorrow and into the work week, as low pressure just sitting and spinning near the North Carolina coast and an approaching cold front increase the clouds and generate chances for showers and storms. That said, Sunday should still be a pretty decent day, and parts of Monday and Tuesday should be salvageable.

Today (Saturday): Just a spectacular way to start the weekend. Mostly sunny skies and a light breeze make for sweet Saturday perfection as highs rise to the upper 70s to near 80. Lots of outdoor activities around the area today - enjoy them, but remember the sunscreen. Confidence: High

Tonight: High pressure hangs around and keeps our skies mostly clear. Evening temperatures fall back through the 70s into the refreshing 60s - awesome night for the Nats and United games - before overnight lows settle in the 50s (suburbs) to near 60 (downtown). Confidence: High

For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend...

Nationals vs. Orioles
Saturday May 19, 7:15 p.m., Nationals Park

First Pitch	9th Inning	Weather	Chance of Rain
Mid-70s	Near 70	Mostly clear	5%

Doesn't get much better than this for local baseball fans. Both the Nats and Orioles are at or near the top of their divisions, and the weather should be picture-perfect as they play the middle game of this series.

NatCast appears on the day of every Nationals home game. Also, if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

United vs. Toronto FC
Saturday May 19, 7:30 p.m., RFK Stadium

Kickoff	Final Whistle	Weather	Chance of Rain
Mid-70s	Near 70	Mostly Clear	5%

No commentary needed! The fantastic forecast details above speak for themselves. Enjoy!

UnitedCast appears on the day of every United home game. Also, if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Richard Knabb (NOAA) NOAA has named Richard Knabb, the Weather Channel’s tropical weather expert, the next director of the National Hurricane Center. He will start work June 4.

Knabb will be NHC’s 11th director, replacing Bill Read, who, in January, announced his retirement effective June 2. Read started at NHC in January, 2008.

Link: Q & A with outgoing NHC director - Bill Read

Prior to Knabb’s tenure at the Weather Channel beginning in May, 2010, he worked at NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center as deputy director and before that as a senior hurricane specialist at NHC (from 2005-2008).

A few clouds and high pollen counts aside, we tacked on another winner to close out the work week. Those of you who want this to carry over to the weekend get your wish. Saturday is also exceptionally nice, though tending more summery than springlike. Sunday isn’t too shabby either, although clouds may build late.

Through Tonight: . Under clear skies, temps fall steadily through the 60s this evening, with 50s in some of the cooler suburbs by around 9 p.m and after midnight downtown. Early morning lows range from as cold as 40 in the outer north and west suburbs to the low 50s downtown.

The weekend: Little to not like about Saturday. Mostly sunny skies and temperatures make a speedy recovery from the 40s in many spots all the way up to around 80 by late afternoon. Mostly clear and not as cold Saturday night, with lows 50-58 (suburbs-city). Sunday starts off with sunshine but a pesky area of low pressure to the southeast may spread clouds into the area as the day wears on. It’s still pleasantly mild, with highs 75-80.

See Camden Walker’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock.

Pollen: Tree pollen is in the HIGH range at 171.88 grains/cubic meter. Grass pollen is HIGH at 40.58 grains/cubic meter. Weed pollen is LOW at 1.6 grains/cubic meter with dock/sorrel and plantain pollen as the major weed species. Mold spores are in the LOW range at 6025.47 spores/cubic meter.

Midwest heavy rain events have increased dramatically: A report from the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council finds the frequency of 3”+ rain events increased by 103% from 1961 to 2011, 81% for 2-3” storms, and 34% for 1-2” storms. More information.

Learn about space weather Sunday: Via NASA - NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Md. will host this month’s Sunday Experiment on Sunday, May 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT. It’s a free afternoon for children of all ages and their families with a look at how NASA studies the sun and space weather with the SDO satellite. More information.