Extreme June Heat

The shore is a good place to beat the heat.

Continuing the trend of the largely hot and dry 1993 summer across the Mid-Atlantic, June 1994 featured some exceptionally hot weather in the Nation’s Capital.  In fact, there were four record highs in a six day stretch from June 14 through June 19. The hottest day during this stretch was 20 years ago today when National Airport reached 101 degrees.  June 15, 1994, was the first June day of triple digit heat in the Nation’s Capital since 1988.  It was also the hottest day overall since it was 101 on July 23, 1991.  June 1994 featured a sweltering total of 17 days with high temperatures of at least 90 degrees – including 14 consecutive days from June 13 - 26 (1994).

What helped make June 1994 such a hot month in the Nation’s Capital was a particularly strong Bermuda High.  The Bermuda High is a sprawling, semi-permanent area of high pressure situated just off the East Coast of the United States. It’s centered near Bermuda where it gets its nickname from. In the northern Hemisphere, air circulates clockwise around an area of high pressure and that means the Mid-Atlantic Region – on the west side of the Bermuda high – would get southerly to southwesterly flow around it. That pumps large amounts of heat and humidity northward from the Deep South. 

That’s what residents of the Mid-Atlantic Region felt in earnest during the June 1994 heat wave.  Incidently, the 101 degree reading on June 15 was the hottest temperature of the entire 1994 summer in the Nation’s Capital. It wouldn’t be this hot in the Nation’s Capital again for more than three years until August 16, 1997 when it was 102 degrees – also a record high.

The hottest weather of the year is on tap this week.  However, temperatures aren't expected to read the triple digit mark.  We'll see if any triple digit heat is on tap in 2014 as we head deeper into the summer season.