DC’s record June heat

 

A warm day in the nation's capital

Residents of the nation’s capital experienced a record high of 100° on June 12. That was only the second day of triple-digit June heat in the nation’s capital over the last decade. While that was impressive, this intense heat will be short-lived and doesn’t compare to some of DC’s longer June heat waves over the last 30 years. A "heat wave" is loosely defined as a minimum of three consecutive days of 90° heat or greater.

2024: This finished as DC’s second warmest June behind only June 2010. Washingtonians experienced the first triple-digit June heat since 2012 on June 22. The longest heat wave of this hot month was an 11-day stretch from June 17 – June 27. Four of those days had highs of at least 95°.

2010:  The signature weather event of DC's warmest June on record was an 11-day heat wave from June 19 - 29. Seven of those 11 days had high temperatures of at least 95°, including a record high of 100° on June 24. That was also DC’s first instance of triple-digit June heat since 1997. 

While more than a decade had passed since the last time Washingtonians experienced triple-digit June heat, June 2010 was the first of three consecutive June’s with 100-degree heat. This June finished with 18 days of 90-degree heat compared to DC's June average of between seven and eight such days.

1997: Unlike June 2010, the first 17 days of June in 1997 were cooler than average in the nation's capital. That includes a June 3 record cool high of 58°, which is DC's average high on March 20. However, a major shift in the weather pattern occurred during the second half of the month. That led to a nine-day heat wave from June 20 – 28. The hottest day was June 25 that featured a record high of 100°.

Although nine of the final 13 days of this June were warmer than average, it still finished 3.2° cooler than average in the nation's capital. That helps underscore how a heat wave, irrespective of how long or hot it may be, isn't always enough to offset unusually cool weather over the course of an entire month.

DC's warmest June's (Source: NOAA)

1. 80.6° (2010)
2. 79.7° (2024)
3. 79.4° (1994)
4. 79.2° (1943)
5. 78.8° (2011)
6. 78.7° (1981)
7. 78.1° (2015)
8. 77.9° (2008)
9. 77.6° (1976)
10. 77.4° (1925)

Average: 76.3°

Weather Quiz

 

Category 5 Hurricane Beryl, July 2024 (Source: NOAA)

True or False.

June is the only month of the Atlantic hurricane season with no observed Category 5 hurricanes.

Severe weather can strike in June

 

June 19, 2025 severe weather reports (Source: NOAA)

The DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) often sees a significant amount of severe weather in June. NOAA defines “severe weather” as a thunderstorm that contains any of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of at least 58 mph; or a tornado.

2025: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred in the DMV last June 18 – 19.  There was an EF-0 tornado in Odenton, Maryland on June 18, with two more weak tornadoes on June 19. Multiple severe wind gusts were reported, especially on June 19, with lots of tree damage. A wind gust of 75 mph was reported during a severe storm at Dulles Airport on June 19 with another 71 mph wind gusts near Reston, Virginia.

2024: June 5 was a particularly active severe weather day across the DMV. A total of 13 confirmed tornadoes developed with the majority in central Maryland. They ranged in intensity from EF-0 to EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The two longest lasting tornadoes were one that tracked 9.1 miles in Montgomery County, Maryland and another that tracked 15.2 miles. Both were EF-1 intensity and produced widespread damage from falling trees. 

2019: June 2 was another active weather day in the DMV with multiple reports of large hail. Hail as large as 2” in diameter reported in Damascus, Maryland, as well as 1” in diameter hail at the White House. Having widespread large hail in and around the nation’s capital is relatively uncommon compared to other parts of the country.

2013: A total of six EF-0 tornadoes developed on June 13 in the DMV. Although they were all relatively weak, some occurred in heavily traveled parts of Montgomery and Charles Counties in Maryland and caused minor damage. This was also one of the wettest June’s on record in the nation’s capital, with a monthly total of 9.97” of rain at National Airport.

2012: There were three major instances of severe weather in the DMV. The most notorious was the June 29 derecho that caused widespread damage and power outages. There were two other major severe weather outbreaks that month. One occurred on June 1 with 38 tornadoes concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Of these, Maryland had 10 confirmed tornadoes, with the strongest an EF-1 in Harford County with peak wind speeds of 86-110 mph. 

On June 22, two downbursts produced damaging winds in the towns of Bladensburg and Johnsville in Maryland. A “downburst” is an area of strong winds that occurs when cold air located high in the thunderstorm accelerates as it descends toward the ground. These winds spread out as they reach the ground, where speeds can approach 100 mph – equivalent to the wind speeds in an EF-1 tornado.