The scorching heat in Washington, which has been unrelenting since mid-June, has made life almost unbearable for residents. With Tuesday marking the fifth consecutive day of temperatures soaring above 97 degrees and the 22nd day this year reaching 90 degrees or higher, the heat index has climbed to a staggering 110 degrees. As a result, the National Weather Service upgraded D.C.’s heat advisory to an excessive-heat warning, signaling the severity of the oppressive conditions.
As the heatwave continues to grip the region, nighttime temperatures have also been unusually warm, with lows of 80 degrees or higher recorded multiple times this summer. These sultry nights, coupled with scorching days, have combined to create the second-hottest start to the summer on record. Despite a potential break in the heat on Friday, meteorologists predict that the hot weather pattern will resume over the weekend, intensifying even further next week. The Climate Shift Index from Climate Central has revealed that human-caused climate change has doubled the probability of such extreme heat events in the D.C. area.
Looking back at historical temperature records, this summer in Washington has been the second warmest on record so far, trailing only 2010 in terms of average temperatures. With an average temperature of 58.7 degrees since the start of the year, 2021 also ranks as the second warmest year to date. The abundance of days with temperatures exceeding 90 and even 97 degrees highlight the severity of the current heatwave, with the outlook indicating a continuation of extremely high temperatures well into the foreseeable future.
