D.C.-area forecast: Consistently hot and humid into this weekend; storms possible today

Cruising the Potomac River below the Key Bridge on a very hot Monday in Washington. (Jeff Vincent/Flickr)

Today’s daily digit

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

4/10: Not as sweltering as yesterday, but still plenty hot and humid. Scattered p.m. storms seem like a decent bet, but could still be hit-or-miss.

Express forecast

• Today: Mostly to partly sunny, humid. Scattered p.m. storms possible. Highs: Low 90s.
• Tonight: Early-evening storm chance, partly cloudy. Lows: Near 70 to mid-70s.
• Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, hot, low storm chance. Highs: Low to mid-90s.

Forecast in detail

Summer has hit its stride (like it or not). The heat and humidity vary a bit from day to day over the next several days, but overall it’s consistently hot and humid through Saturday, before temperatures try to cool off a bit on Sunday. Storm chances fluctuate a bit, too, with the best chances probably today (although they still might be hit-or-miss) and this weekend.

Today (Wednesday): It’s still hot and humid, just not quite as steamy as yesterday. Highs should reach the low 90s with mostly sunny skies and high humidity, but not as tropical as yesterday (dew points in the upper 60s to near 70 today, versus mid-70s yesterday). That’s still humid enough for an afternoon heat index into the mid-90s, with light winds from the southwest around 5 to 10 mph. A few hit-or-miss storms seem likely midafternoon into early evening, especially around 4 to 8 p.m., with damaging winds possible. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Any storms should quickly dissipate after 8 p.m. or so. The air is sweaty and stagnant with very light or even calm winds. Overnight lows settle to near 70 to the mid-70s. Confidence: Medium-High

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Tomorrow (Thursday): Mostly sunny skies are relentless with afternoon highs heading for the low to mid-90s. Humidity remains fairly high with dew points in the upper 60s to near 70. That means the heat index should reach the upper 90s. As of now, storm chances seem slim to none. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Status quo with mostly clear skies and muggy conditions. Lows again in the low to mid-70s. Confidence: Medium-High

A look ahead

Friday, Saturday and Sunday feature minor variations of typical summer weather in the DMV. Temperatures trend a touch higher again on Friday with highs in the mid-90s under mostly sunny skies and the chance of an isolated late-day storm. Saturday and Sunday could see late-day storm coverage increase to scattered, with Saturday highs in the low to mid-90s and somewhat cooler Sunday highs in the upper 80s to near 90. Humidity remains high throughout the period. Confidence: Medium