Capital Weather Gang

D.C. area forecast: Windy start to holiday weekend, but turning nicer as it goes

Ian Livingston — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:00:31 GMT

Today’s Daily Digit A somewhat subjective rating of the days weather, on a scale of 1 to 10. 7 Nice to see holiday weekend sunshine, but that wind is still rather pesky. Express Forecast Today: Mostly sunny, windy. Highs: Mid-60s … Continue reading →

Nationals vs. Phillies weather forecast: Cool, breezes diminishing

Ian Livingston — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:58:06 GMT

Nationals vs. Phillies 7:15 p.m., Saturday, May 25, Nationals Park Breezy FIRST PITCH 62-65 9TH INNING 58-61 CHANCE OF RAIN 1% The gusty breeze of the day should wane as the game gets going, but you’ll probably still want some … Continue reading →

United vs. Timbers weather forecast: Toss on a layer or two and enjoy!

Ian Livingston — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:55:12 GMT

United vs. Timbers 7:00 p.m., Saturday, May 25, RFK Stadium Breezy Opening Low 60s End Near 60 CHANCE OF RAIN 1% Winds of the day diminish as the game persists, but they’ll stay up enough to be noticeable. Not bad … Continue reading →

PM Update: Skies clear, temps slowly warm for holiday weekend; heat wave in a week?

Jason Samenow — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:31:44 GMT

Temperature Map Temperatures:Latest D.C. area temperature map. See interactive map on our Weather Wall. It certainly did not look or feel like the Friday before Memorial Day, with sunshine-free skies, temperatures stuck in the 50s, and a biting wind gusting … Continue reading →

For Memorial Day weekend: Venus, Jupiter and Mercury form a western trio

Jason Samenow — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:29:22 GMT

As the Memorial Day Weekend takes shape, find a fun planetary triangle in the west-northwestern sky at dusk. Thanks to celestial mechanics and our own unique, earthly perspective on the cosmos, the effervescent Venus, giant Jupiter and the fleet Mercury … Continue reading →

A Memorial Day weather surprise: the Jersey shore ocean breeze

Don Lipman — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:29:58 GMT

Growing up at the Jersey shore, I always had mixed feelings about Memorial Day, the traditional start of the summer season and now observed as the final Monday in May. (But at the shore, the “real” summer season was, and … Continue reading →

Don’t Fry Day: Sun safety advice for the unofficial start of summer

Kathryn Prociv — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:02:40 GMT

TGIF – Thank goodness it’s Friday! “Don’t Fry Day” that is. Every year the Friday before Memorial Day is known as “Don’t Fry Day” to help with awareness regarding sun protection as we enter the summer months. The campaign started … Continue reading →

Astonishing video of Moore, Okla. tornado: From little swirl to gargantuan monster

Jason Samenow — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:11:05 GMT

Watch the Moore, Okla tornado transform from a small funnel to an unfathomable wrecking machine. All in the course of just 3-6 minutes. Video posted to YouTube by Justin Cox. Here’s Justin Cox’ description of the video: Raw footage of … Continue reading →

D.C. area forecast: Menacing mugginess out, windy and cool in

A. Camden Walker — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:37 GMT

Today’s Daily Digit A somewhat subjective rating of the days weather, on a scale of 1 to 10. 5 Cooler & not humid! But too cool? Too WINDY. Argh, can’t we get a break to start the holiday weekend?! Express … Continue reading →

Nationals vs. Phillies weather forecast: Cool and breezy

A. Camden Walker — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:55:21 GMT

Nationals vs. Phillies 7:05 p.m., Friday, May 24, Nationals Park Periodic clouds, chilly at times FIRST PITCH 58-60 9TH INNING 54-56 CHANCE OF RAIN 10% The breeze really could be a constant nuisance, so consider taking a jacket or even a … Continue reading →

PM Update: Some storms this evening, much cooler, windy Friday; updates on Moore, Okla.

Jason Samenow — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:30:58 GMT

10:45 p.m. update: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for much of the immediate metro area through 11:30 p.m. due to the potential for damaging winds of 60+ mph. I’m unconvinced winds will get that high and think the … Continue reading →

It’s unanimous: NOAA calls for very active hurricane season, joining other forecasters

Jason Samenow — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:30:56 GMT

Prior to today’s release of NOAA’s hurricane outlook today, at least 8 independent groups had called for an active to extremely active Atlantic hurricane season. NOAA joined the chorus today, becoming the 9th group to forecast a busy year for … Continue reading →

Capital Weather Gang 2013 summer outlook: Less stifling than last 3 summers

Jason Samenow — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:44:00 GMT

This has been one of the nicest springs I can remember. Lots of crisp, sunny days and beautiful weekends. We will likely finish the March – May period with near normal temperatures, and it turns out normal in spring here … Continue reading →

Weather Service systems crumbling as extreme weather escalates

Jason Samenow — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:14:21 GMT

As painfully obvious from the recent events in Oklahoma, tornado season is in full gear. Meanwhile, hurricane season is a week away. Yet budget woes and multiple system failures at the National Weather Service in the past week, not to … Continue reading →

D.C. area forecast: Muggy with off and on showers today, weekend much cooler

David Streit — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:45 GMT

Today’s Daily Digit A somewhat subjective rating of the days weather, on a scale of 1 to 10. 4 Bad enough that we still have the humidity but now we have to dodge showers/thunderstorms to boot. Express Forecast Today: Scattered … Continue reading →

PM Update: Showers/storms likely, especially Thursday; Bob Ryan’s last TV weathercast

Jason Samenow — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:08:46 GMT

Radar & lightning:Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation and lightning strikes over past two hours. Refresh page to update. Click here or on image to enlarge. Or see radar bigger on our Weather Wall. Isolated thunderstorms have developed this … Continue reading →

Lawmaker rejects Weather Service furlough plan after Moore, Okla. tornado

Jason Samenow — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:41:27 GMT

This spring, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) had more than once gently suggested the Department of Commerce not furlough National Weather Service forecasters. Commerce went ahead with a furlough plan anyway. In the aftermath of the Moore, Okla. tornado, Wolf is … Continue reading →

Lots of talk, few conclusions on climate change and tornadoes

Jason Samenow — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:46:40 GMT

Following the horrific Moore, Okla. tornado, an abundance of bandwidth has been expended on one particular topic (apologies in advance for expending more): Did climate change make the tornado worse? The bottom line is scientists don’t know. If that answer … Continue reading →

Tornadoes: Forces of nature we can’t stop or contain, can forecasts help us better prepare?

Jason Samenow — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:04:48 GMT

Intelligence can foil a terrorist attack. Policies and technologies can lower the risk of aviation disaster. But man has no power to quell the wrath of a violent twister. You could say the same for hurricanes, but typical lead times … Continue reading →

A deeper look at Washington, D.C.’s tornado history

Kathryn Prociv — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:05:39 GMT

If you’ve been following the 2013 severe weather season, you know it has been quite a roller coaster ride. Before this week, we had been flirting with records for the lowest number of tornadoes (so far this year) and tornado … Continue reading →

D.C. area forecast: Humidity still here through tomorrow, then cool and dry into weekend

Dan Stillman — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:37 GMT

Today’s Daily Digit A somewhat subjective rating of the days weather, on a scale of 1 to 10. 6 Humidity hangs tough, as it remains nice and warm for those who like the summery stuff. Express Forecast Today: Partly sunny … Continue reading →

PM Update: More warmth, storm chances inch up Wednesday

Jason Samenow — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:55:44 GMT

Temperature Map Temperatures:Latest D.C. area temperature map. See interactive map on our Weather Wall. Southerly winds ushered in warm, humid air today (dew points in the upper 60s!), with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Storms avoided us today, and may … Continue reading →

How do you protect kids at school from violent tornadoes?

Jason Samenow — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:28:35 GMT

Numerous children were killed or injured by the tornado that obliterated Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. Details are still emerging about exactly how these casualties occurred, but the tragedy raises questions about what schools should do to protect … Continue reading →

Washington, D.C.’s tornado history

Jason Samenow — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:23:50 GMT

Fortunately, the Washington, D.C. area does not experience tornadoes that are as frequent and intense as the Plains and Southeast. However, weaker tornadoes are not uncommon. Link: The 8 tornadoes recorded in D.C. This map below, created by CWG’s Kathryn … Continue reading →

Moore, Oklahoma tornado updates throughout Tuesday

Jason Samenow — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:30:17 GMT

Clean-up efforts are underway in the wake of deadly, destructive tornado that carved a devastating 20 mile path south of Oklahoma City Monday. The massive storm, up to a mile wide and with estimated winds of at least 200 mph, … Continue reading →