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D.C. area forecast: Staying summery and sweaty for now; high hopes for holiday weekend

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT
A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

5/10: The air is too hot, too humid and too stale for September, though I guess still excusable before Labor Day.

EXPRESS FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny and humid. Isolated t’storms late? Highs: Low-to-mid 90s.
Tonight: Muggy, evening t’storm? Lows: Near 70 to mid-70s.
Tomorrow: Partly to mostly sunny. Slight chance of p.m. storm. Highs: Low-to-mid 90s.

FORECAST IN DETAIL

The heat has some teeth to it today and tomorrow, not to mention the ever-present humidity with which we’ve learned to coexist. The best chance of rain comes late Friday, a slightly cooler day, though even that is unlikely to do much to quench our thirsty gardens. As of now the holiday weekend has high potential with less heat, less humidity and little chance of rain.

Today (Wednesday): It’s a classic August summer day here in early September. Partly sunny skies and high humidity bring on the sweat, as highs head for the low-to-mid 90s. The air mass is a stagnant one, too, with very light winds. Can’t rule out a couple isolated late-afternoon thunderstorms. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Still the chance of a couple isolated evening thunderstorms. Otherwise we’re partly to mostly clear and muggy, with mild lows near 70 to the mid-70s. Confidence: Medium-High

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

Tomorrow (Thursday): It’s mostly more of the same tomorrow as highs once again head for the low-to-mid 90s under partly to mostly sunny skies. A light breeze from the north-northwest probably isn’t enough to make much of a dent in the humidity. So we’re still at least moderately muggy with a slight chance of a late-afternoon storm. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Again we have just the slight chance of an evening storm. Meanwhile the mugginess remains, with lows settling back to near 70 to the mid-70s under partly cloudy skies. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

Increasing clouds should hold Friday highs back just a bit, topping out in the upper 80s to near 90 with the humidity still hanging tough. With a cold front approaching, we’ll see a better (30-40%) chance of a few showers and storms Friday afternoon into evening. Drier air then tries to work in overnight as lows bottom in the upper 60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium

The Labor Day Weekend looks like a good one weather-wise. Skies shape up as partly to mostly sunny, and we’re somewhat less humid with highs mainly in the mid-80s Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Fortunately for outdoor plans, and unfortunately for lawns, there seems to be little to no chance of rain. Confidence: Medium-High

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