D.C.-area forecast: Pleasantly warm today and Friday before the weekend heats up with a few showers,

storms.

Today feels like a dream.

Forecast in detail

This has got to be a dream: Low humidity in July?! Enjoy the next two days because “old man summer” pumps up the humidity over the weekend as well as the heat. A few showers and storms are likely to pop up on Saturday and Sunday, but we still have plenty of sun time.

Today (Thursday): Sunshine has only a few spotty clouds to compete. Light north winds help to slow the warm-up but, more importantly, much lower humidity (dew points in the 50s) makes it quite comfortable. Highs are in the low to mid-80s. Confidence: High

Tonight: The evening temperatures quickly slip into the 70s, so get out and enjoy them. The stars shine brightly with the dry air. Winds are nearly calm. Lows drop to the low to mid-60s. Confidence: High

Tomorrow (Friday): Plenty of sun and limited humidity set the stage for another fine summer day. North breezes are faint, and highs are mainly in the mid-80s. Confidence: High

Tomorrow night: Mainly clear skies and calm winds dominate. Lows range through the 60s. Confidence: High

A look ahead

Humidity starts to creep back up on Saturday but is still only at moderate levels (dew points in the low to mid-60s). This allows for more pop-up clouds as the day heats up. A few of these could organize enough to set off a shower. They should not be long-lived so don’t despair. Highs climb to the mid- to upper 80s. A few widely scattered showers remain possible through the night. Lows are mainly in the upper 60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium-High

Summer is back in full force on Sunday with highs in the low 90s and high humidity. The intense sun is likely to set off showers and storms mainly later in the afternoon. If there are breaks in the clouds in the evening, the rising full moon will be accompanied by Jupiter and Saturn for a fabulous sight. A few scattered showers remain possible overnight with lows in the upper 60s to low 70s. Confidence: Medium-High

Monday is more of the same with highs mainly in the low 90s setting off scattered afternoon showers and storms as humidity remains painfully high. Confidence: Medium

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/07/22/dc-area-forecast-pleasantly-warm-today-friday-before-weekend-heats-up-with-few-showers-storms/?

BLUE sky, southern MD