Dc weather swung sharply on Tuesday as temperatures surged into the mid-80s across the region, setting new daily records at all three major area airports by mid-afternoon ET, even as forecasters pointed to a markedly cooler, windier pattern arriving with a cold front on Thursday.
How did Tuesday’s heat break a record that stood for a decade?
By 3 p. m. ET Tuesday, high temperatures reached 84 degrees at Reagan National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and BWI Marshall Airport, breaking decadelong records. At Reagan National, the previous record high for the day was 79, and by 5 p. m. ET the temperature there had risen to 84. Dulles climbed to 85 by 5 p. m. ET, surpassing a prior record of 80. BWI also reached 85, topping a previous mark of 80 that had been set in 2016.
The warmth was notable not only for the peak readings, but for how widely it was shared across the region’s primary observation points. The day’s heat established the warmest March 10 in the D. C. area since 2016, pushing conditions well beyond earlier expectations that highs would approach record territory.
What comes next for Dc Weather after the record highs?
Tuesday evening was expected to remain mainly clear, with temperatures holding in the 68 to 72 range and a light south breeze around 5 to 10 mph. Overnight conditions were forecast to be clear to partly cloudy with lows from 54 to 60 and lighter south winds near 5 mph.
On Wednesday, the region stays warm, but higher humidity introduces a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms. Forecast guidance highlighted the highest likelihood for storms from 3 p. m. to 6 p. m. ET. Wednesday was expected to be partly to mostly cloudy, with highs from 78 to 83 and southwest winds from 10 to 20 mph.
Some forecasts also emphasized that a round of storms becomes possible Wednesday with additional rain and thunderstorms later in the evening. The main concern tied to any stronger storms was described as damaging wind gusts and blinding rainfall. Conditions were expected to be clear and dry Tuesday night before Wednesday’s storm chances increase.
Why is a powerful cold front poised to flip the pattern on Thursday?
Thursday’s forecast called for a significant shift: windy and cooler conditions with areas of rain, with temperatures falling into the 50s to 40s. Northwest winds were expected at 10 to 20 mph with gusts around 30 mph.
Another forecast discussion tied Thursday’s change directly to a cold front, with additional showers and a drop in temperatures. A brief changeover to snow as colder air rushes in was described as possible, though uncertain. After that, cooler and breezy weather was expected to settle in on Friday, with a later rebound in temperatures into the 60s by Sunday.
For residents tracking dc weather, the immediate headline is the record-breaking heat already observed Tuesday, followed quickly by a midweek storm chance and then a cooler, windier regime with rain as the cold front arrives Thursday.
