Expected showers and storms may offer hardened grounds in D.C., Maryland and Virginia some reprieve from punishing back-to-back heat waves and drought conditions. Here’s what you need to know.
Some of the scattered showers and severe thunderstorms that found their way to parts of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the Shenandoah Valley on Sunday were likely a preshow for Monday’s wet weather: spotty, unsettled and sporadic.
A wet weather pattern is expected to begin Monday, bringing some high rain chances to the entire region, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña.
“Now we’re not expecting a complete washout, but scattered showers throughout the day will amount to about a half-inch of rain or less,” he told WTOP.
Storms are expected to linger during most of the daylight hours, bringing potential for some heavy rainfall around the D.C. area before storm chances taper off into the evening.
7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff said Monday’s temperatures will top out in the 80s, but high humidity will make it feel close to 90. Rainfall totals will average around a half-inch, as rain and storms are possible up until midnight.
Peña said high temperatures could get much closer to 90 on Tuesday and stay that way for the workweek, with constant on-and-off thunderstorm chances coming along for the ride.
Tuesday’s heat index values are expected to be between 94 and 98.
Given the lack of sustained rains over the past few weeks, Peña is expecting the rainfall totals for this week to get closer to 1-2 inches of rain — a healthy amount for the area.
“In terms of heat and heat index values across the area,” Peña said, the highs and heat indexes are expected to stay in the 90s, avoiding any heat related warnings.
“Thankfully, no excessive heat warnings or heat advisories expected as heat index values for those criteria are anywhere from 105 to 110,” he said.
Drought conditions have also been of high concern in and around the nation’s capital. While the rain expected this week won’t end the area’s drought, Peña said this week’s storms and showers will definitely do good for the regions parched fields.
“While we do need more, this is a healthy amount of rain. We don’t want too much at one time,” he said. “So this one to two inches that we’re expecting over five days is absolutely going to help out the drought conditions.”
7News First Alert meteorologists are also tracking another potential spate of rain next week, though the amounts and severity of any potential storms are quite a ways out.
MONDAY: Cloudy, rain and storms likely. Highs between 80 and 85.
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph
MONDAY NIGHT: Rain, storms ending. Lows between 68 and 75.
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
TUESDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of rain, storms. Highs between 88 and 90, with a heat index between 94 and 98.
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny. Chance of rain, storms. Highs in the middle 80s, with a heat index in the middle 90s.
Winds: South 5-10 mph
THURSDAY: Scattered showers and storms. Highs between 80 and 87, with a heat index between 88 and 93.
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
