DC heat emergency: City faces hottest weather in 8 years

Brian Lada
·2-min read

The heat wave in the mid-Atlantic is about to reach a new level, including in Washington, D.C., where the temperature is predicted to climb to the 100-degree mark on Sunday.

Not only will this be the hottest weather in the city since Aug. 15, 2016, but the temperature could come within a few degrees of its all-time June record of 104 degrees.

On Friday, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the city's heat emergency would remain in effect until the start of next week due to the extreme temperatures. "Residents and visitors are encouraged to take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses and to check on neighbors," Bowser said in a press release.

A rowing team glides along the Potomac River past the Washington Monument as the sun rises on another hot and humid day in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

The nation's capital isn't the only city that could hit the century mark over the weekend.

Baltimore is also likely to hit 100 degrees through Sunday. A "Code Red Extreme Heat Alert" has been declared for the city, and cooling centers will be open to the public.

AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be a few degrees higher than the air temperature due to intense sunshine and high humidity levels.

People across the mid-Atlantic won't feel much heat relief at night following the scorching hot afternoons. Low temperatures into early Monday morning will range from the middle to upper 70s.

"When it remains this warm as people go to sleep, additional strain on the heart can occur as the body tries to regulate its internal temperature," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained.

AccuWeather meteorologists say that a change in the weather pattern will cause temperatures across the Northeast to retreat from record territory early in the new week, but it will still remain hot, with afternoon temperatures in the 90s.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • ER visits for heat-related illnesses spike — and hard-hit places aren’t always the hottest

    As heat blankets much of the US, hospitals in many states are already seeing extremely high rates of heat-related emergencies, according to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and forecasters say more abnormally warm weather is on the way.

  • Deaths mount as Pakistan swelters in heatwave

    Soaring temperatures in Pakistan have led more people to head to hospitals seeking help.

  • Another heatwave to follow after storms hit Italy and Switzerland

    High temperatures are forecast to start returning to Italy on Thursday after heavy rain whipped the north and centre of the country this week.View on euronews

  • Climber Rappels Next to 'Raging Waterfall' That Developed During Flash Flood

    A “raging waterfall” cascading down the Morning Glory Arch was not enough to deter an experienced outdoorsman on June 21, with jaw-dropping visuals showing him rappelling down after a flash flood hit the area.Video by 16-year-old Spencer Grover shows Tyler Erickson rappelling from a sandstone cliff outside Moab, Utah, within touching distance of a muddy waterfall that “spontaneously developed”, Spencer’s father, Michael Grover, told Storyful.Speaking to Storyful, Erickson said that although the canyoneering adventure “unexpectedly turned into a test of resilience and preparedness,” at no point were he and his group in serious danger.“We were well prepared, equipped with headlamps, sufficient food, and water,” Erickson said.“Despite the situation, the temperature remained a comfortable 70 degrees, and no one was at risk of hypothermia. The storm was described by search and rescue as a once-in-150-years event, catching even experienced guides off guard.”Erickson said that the unexpected flash flood brought close to four inches of rain in just 20 minutes. He highlighted “the importance of preparedness and staying calm in unexpected situations”, but said the experience, while challenging, was also “an unforgettable and humbling adventure”.“It was a testament to the resilience and teamwork of our group, and a reminder that nature can be unpredictable,” he said.Separately, a group of 20 people had to be rescued during the same extreme conditions, local media said Credit: Spencer Grover via Storyful

  • Beat them or eat them: What should we do about invasive species in the ocean?

    Should we beat them, or eat them? In this episode of Ocean Calls, we’re embarking on a journey to unravel the mysteries of invasive species in EU waters. They unsettle the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, so what can we do about them?

  • Funnel Cloud Hovers Over Field Near Cedar Rapids

    A funnel cloud was spotted hovering over part of eastern Iowa on June 25, as storms moved through the region.Aaron Horn, who filmed this footage, said he spotted the funnel near Cedar Rapids on Tuesday.The National Weather Service warned of scattered severe thunderstorms on Tuesday evening, with the possibility of strong wind gusts and tornadoes. Credit: Aaron Horn via Storyful

  • 2 giant pandas set off from China to the US - for first time in over 20 years

    For the first time in more than 20 years, giant pandas are travelling from China to the United States. The five-year-old male Yun Chuan and nearly four-year-old female Xin Bao are expected to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in California later this week after setting off from China on Wednesday. The pair will travel 7,000 miles, accompanied by caretakers who will help them adjust to their new environment. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answer

  • Bornean elephant assessed as endangered in new threatened species list

    An update to the IUCN Red List of threatened species also warns of a threat to lizards from invasive snakes and impacts of illegal cactus trade.

  • How the Midwest Floods Nearly Took Out a Century-Old Dam

    The warning from the county government was grim. The Rapidan Dam, a feature of the southern Minnesota landscape for more than a century, was “in imminent failure condition.” “We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place,” officials said Monday as dead trees and other debris piled up at the dam and floods overwhelmed the Upper Midwest. At one point, a support structure alongside the dam partly failed and gushing waters carved out a nearby cliff. Video footage showed a near

  • Sunspot that caused intense solar storms makes dramatic comeback

    Solar storm could bring extreme auroras, as well as ‘complete collapse’ of electrical grids and blackouts, NOAA warns

  • Climate change boosted deadly Saudi haj heat by 2.5 C, scientists say

    The heatwave in Saudi Arabia blamed for the deaths of 1,300 people on the haj pilgrimage this month was made worse by climate change, a team of European scientists said on Friday. The heat would have been approximately 2.5 C (4.5 F) cooler without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to a weather attribution analysis by ClimaMeter. The scientists used satellite observations from the last four decades to compare weather patterns from 1979 to 2001 and 2001 to 2023.

  • Factbox-Companies forging a rare earths industry in the EU

    In the rare earths sector, the EU will struggle to meet most of its ambitious goals in new legislation designed to boost domestic output of critical minerals and reduce dependence on China. Below are some key companies working on rare earths, with production figures in metric tons per year. Neodymium and praseodymium (referred to in the industry by their joint elemental abbreviation, NdPr) are key rare earths needed to make permanent magnets.

  • The battle against Guatemala's 'garbage island'

    STORY: This island in Guatemala is made of garbage.There are plastic bottles, tires, sofas — even human remains have been found here.Local residents are worried about it.They fish in Lake Amatitlan, and making a living from it.Tourism boat driver Celestino de la Cruz says he remembers when the lake was crystal clear.Now it's more of a greenish hue.“I don’t know why the lake has deteriorated, it’s a shame to see it,” he says.:: FilePart of the problem, experts say, is industrialization in Guatemala City’s metropolitan area.Rivers carry contaminated water to the lake, which leads to excess nitrogen and propels the growth of a toxic blue-green algae.There have been laws since 2006 seeking to control nitrogen levels in the lake.And surrounding municipalities got funding for water treatment plants - but those resources were re-allocated.The agency for sustainable management of the lake says it’s removing about 100 trucks of trash a day - even during the heavy rains of the winter season.They placed a retention barrier on the lake’s surface that's more than a mile long."We all have the intention to save the lake. It is our hope that one day we will be able to save it,” says trash extraction manager Yuri Geovani.He says without those efforts, the lake would probably be a swamp by now.The agency says over 190,000 cubic feet of trash has been scooped up this year alone.That’s more than two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

  • New drone footage shows 97% of coral is dead in northern Great Barrier Reef

    Bleaching event, which follows a similar one last summer, is fifth in eight years after parts of reef subjected to extreme heat stress

  • Damage to protected chalk stream left unchecked by Natural England for 11 years

    Damage to a protected chalk stream has gone unchecked by Natural England for more than a decade, according to new analysis.

  • In Colombia, a long, perilous romance to save the harpy eagle

    Wounded and wary, the young couple appear to be into each other: their arranged romance, years in the making, is aimed at preserving the rapidly disappearing harpy eagle, one of the world's largest raptors.One of the world's most powerful and largest eagles, able to hunt monkeys and sloths, the harpy eagle has been hunted to near-extinction in some parts of its territory in Central America.

  • Storms are increasingly damaging shorelines. Could this hybrid coral reef help protect them?

    Scientists at the University of Miami are studying how hybrid reefs - part natural, part man-made structures - could help bolster ocean ecosystems and also shield coastlines.

  • 'Not crazy to be optimistic' on climate tech, Gates tells investors

    Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday urged investors to get behind cutting-edge climate technologies he says would drive a "green industrial revolution" and a next wave of global prosperity.- 'Green industrial revolution' - Less than a decade ago, Gates said, there was very little investor interest in climate technologies. 

  • Med microclimates: The cooler corners in Europe’s hotspots

    The recent Mediterranean heatwave has seen plenty of talk about steering clear of the region this summer. But not all of southern Europe is subject to precisely the same climatic pressures.

  • Temasek co-leads US$65 mil Series A+ round in ‘plastic-eating enzyme’ creator Samsara Eco

    Founded in 2020, the company has pioneered the ability to recycle materials like nylon 6/6 and polyester.