Temperatures Fluctuate Wildly in a Week's Time

With balmy breezes, lots of blue sky and below-normal temperatures, yesterday seemed, meteorologically speaking, almost idyllic, and pleasantly similar to the Saturday before.

But in the period between, the thermometer went through vigorous ups and downs, and Washington saw its hottest day in almost a year, at 96 degrees.

The high temperature at Reagan National Airport yesterday was 83 degrees, six degrees below normal. It was dry, and one degree cooler and less cloudy than the fine weather that characterized July 11.

But in between, there were fluctuations. Last Sunday, the mercury reached 90 degrees, for the year's fourth 90-or-higher reading. Then came Thursday, with its high of 96, which was four degrees above any other day this year.

It was the first time that the temperature at Reagan had reached as high as 96 since July 21, 2008.

It was unusual for other reasons. Two days before, several spots in the Washington region had set or matched record lows.

At Dulles International Airport, Tuesday's low of 53 at 5:25 a.m. was one degree below the record low for the date, set in 1980. It was 11 degrees below the normal low for the date. Baltimore's 58 matched a low reached first in 1895.

Within two days, the Dulles temperature had climbed 42 degrees, reaching 95 on Thursday.

In Martinsburg, W.Va., on Tuesday, it was 49 at 4:43 a.m., 17 degrees above freezing and one degree below a 69-year-old record.