Democracy Dies in Darkness

D.C.-area forecast: Decent end to the week as the next cold front approaches

We’re dealing with occasional cloudier moments heading into the first half of the weekend. A sprinkle chance today grows into a storm risk tomorrow afternoon.

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Morning clouds at Great Falls Park. (Jeff Rosenberg/CWG Flickr)
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Today’s daily digit

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

7/10: A serene and acceptable late summer day with highs around 80. What’s less than ideal are clouds filtering sunshine, a bit of humidity, and a stray shower chance.

Express forecast

  • Today: Partly sunny. Stray shower? Highs: Upper 70s to low 80s.
  • Tonight: Stray shower chance. Lows: Within a few degrees of 65.
  • Tomorrow: Slight shower/storm chance. Highs: Mid-to-upper 70s.
  • Sunday: Sunny, fall-like. Highs: Low-to-mid 70s.

Forecast in detail

Today is certainly not a bad end to the workweek, with a slow increase of clouds, humidity, and rain chances into tomorrow. Clearing out by tomorrow night, we set the stage for a very sunny streak Sunday into midweek. Fall-like crispness Sunday turns back toward enjoyable late-summer warmth for the workweek.

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Today (Friday): Plan on filtered sunshine with partly cloudy skies at times. We have about a 10 percent chance for a stray shower — if anything falls it would be very brief and light, best odds east. A tinge of humidity accompanies high temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. A few afternoon breezes from the east-southeast may approach 10 mph. Confidence: High

Tonight: Stray shower chances increase a bit, toward 20 percent, along with cloud cover and humidity levels. Temperatures bottom out within a few degrees of 65. Confidence: Medium

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Tomorrow (Saturday): Showers are possible most anytime, though they should be few. Scattered thunderstorms become more likely from midday into the afternoon or early evening. No rain too heavy or long-lasting is expected but we do have around a 50 percent chance of seeing some raindrops. Outdoor plans seem doable — consider a backup plan, just in case. Clouds hold temperatures from surpassing the mid- to upper 70s. A few midday and afternoon wind gusts from the west and northwest may breeze near 25 mph. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow night: Other than a chance for a shower or storm lingering into the early evening, skies quickly clear out. Light but steady breezes from the northwest help dry out the air, fostering crisp low temperatures within a few degrees of 50. Confidence: Medium-High

Sunday: The start of our fantastic sunny streak is also another quick dose of those fall feels. High temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s are accompanied by exceedingly dry air (dew points around 40 degrees). It may be breezy, as well. Confidence: Medium-High

A look ahead

Sunday night: Clear and fairly calm conditions are expected. Our region’s coolest locations far from urban environments may dip into the mid-40s. Downtown areas may only get down to the mid-50s. Confidence: Medium-High

Super-sunny conditions continue Monday and Tuesday, with wall-to-wall blue skies probable, assuming high altitude wildfire smoke stays tame as is currently expected. Dew points remain dry and comfortable as we warm from within a few degrees of 80 on Monday to within a few degrees of 85 Tuesday. Confidence: Medium-High