Enjoying August's cool-down

 

A fall-like August day in suburban Washington, D.C.

Washingtonians have enjoyed some of the coolest August weather in decades over the last week. The cooler than average weather has been particularly welcome given how hot June and July were in the nation's capital. 

June finished as DC's second warmest on record, while July was DC's fourth hottest. Nine of the first 10 days of August were also warmer than average, including an August 2 high of 99° at National Airport and a record high of 101° at Dulles Airport.

However, once the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby exited the DMV on August 11, there has been a major shift in the local weather pattern. Since then, 11 days have been cooler than average. Not since late-March has the nation's capital experienced a similar stretch of below average temperatures.

Moreover, temperatures over the last several days have felt more like late-September than August. Washington, D.C. experienced its first August temperatures in the 50s since 2004 with lows of 59° and 58°, respectively, at National Airport on August 21 and August 22. In addition, DC's high temperatures on August 21 and 22 were only 76° and 78°. Washingtonians haven't experienced consecutive daily high temperatures in the 70s during August since 2017.

Meanwhile, Dulles Airport was even cooler with a record low of 49° on August 22. That was its first August temperature in the 40s since August 20, 1998 (47°). National Airport also had a comfortable low temperature of 57° on August 20, 1998. Those comfortable temperatures were followed by an unusual late-August heat wave with highs in the 90s.

That's similar to what my colleagues and I on the WUSA9 Weather Team are expecting over the final week of this month. Highs this week will rebound to the low to mid-90s and that's above average for late-August. Although DC's average monthly temperature (combining daily high/low temperatures) is below average through August 24, this week's weather should help it finish near or slightly above average.