AAA-Rated: Awesome August Afternoon

Now

Warm, but not humid. It's a few degrees on the high side of the Official CapitalWeather.com Nice Day Stamp, but any long-time Washington resident will confirm that today's weather is nearly the finest that August can offer. (For a reminder of how nasty the month can be, take a glance several hundred pixels to the right for "Today in Weather History.") As early as 1pm, the official temperature at National was pushing into the upper 80s after a morning low of 70°, but even by late this afternoon temperatures are mainly in the upper 80s throughout the region. Dewpoints are generally in the very comfortable low 50s.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Warm, gradually increasing humidity. Lows tonight will be in the upper 60s in town, as low as 60° in the coolest 'burbs, with comfortable humidity. Tomorrow will be sunny with highs in the upper 80s and gradually increasing humidity.

Scroll down to Dan's post below for the outlook through the weekend.

Tropical Topics

Two low pressure areas in the southwestern Atlantic have merged and moved northward toward the Carolinas. Some isolated strong thunderstorms were reported with this system early this afternoon. Upper-level winds are expected to become unfavorable by tomorrow, but some development is still possible. A reconnaissance flight was investigating the area this afternoon.

Broadcast News

Steve Villanueva, earlier reported to be the new Channel 4 meteorologist, is listed as a member of both the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and National Weather Association (NWA) in his WWOR official bio. He is evidently the recipient of an NWA Weathercaster Seal of Approval issued in November 2000. (Clay Anderson is not.) Steve (great name for a meteorologist!) is also reported to be an experienced Cannoli Eating Contest host.