DC Gets Mugged; Thunderstorms Likely

** Severe Thunderstorm Watch in Effect Until 11 PM **

Now

Hot, very humid. OK, it's official, you can start complaining now. With dewpoints in the oppressive 70s, temperatures in the 90s are feeling very uncomfortable in the Washington metro area this afternoon. One of the worst reports in the greater metro region was at 2pm from Fredericksburg, where a dewpoint of 75° combined with an air temperature of 95° to yield a heat index of 107.

A line of thunderstorms forming by mid afternoon in the usual location, just west of I-81, was moving generally northeastward, but it could reach at least the far western suburbs by early evening. A couple of small popup storms were also developing to the east, including one in the far western corner of Montgomery County which has produced some distant rumbles of thunder here at Update Central.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Muggy, thunderstorms likely, then cooler, less humid. The chance of thunderstorms will continue through this evening, especially to the west of the immediate metro area. Lows will be in the low 70s downtown to the upper 60s in the cooler 'burbs. Some clouds and possibly some lingering showers in the morning tomorrow will give way to sunshine in the afternoon and much more pleasant conditions. Highs of 84-87° will be accompanied by much lower humidity.

For the outlook through the rest of the week, scroll on down to Jason's post below.

Mediarology

Today's WaPo salutes the approaching solstice with the return of its series, "Secret Worlds of Summer", in the Metro section. The first installment, "Mysteries of Light", surveys the role of the sun in myth and in local scientific investigations at NIST in Gaithersburg and NASA in Greenbelt.