The National Weather Service has given Baltimore and Washington DC residents a brief sigh of relief from the crushing summer heat with today’s cooler temperatures. According to the National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC, the region is set to see "a brief reprieve from the excessive heat and humidity" post-frontal passage. However, this is only a temporary respite as storm chances increase Friday and Saturday, especially east of the Blue Ridge due to a stalled frontal boundary.
Temperates today east of the Alleghenies are expected to stay in the mid-upper 80s to low 90s, which is a notch down from the recent sweltering days. "Dewpoint values will fall into the upper 50s and low
60s under post frontal light west to northwest (5-15 kts) flow," the NWS statement said, describing the weather as much more tolerable. But conditions are set to rapidly change. The stalled front is forecast to push back across areas along and east of I-95, heralding a return of showers and potential thunderstorms later this evening into early Friday morning.
Boasting a brief period of SCA-level winds mariners on the Chesapeake Bay should stay vigilant today, as per the forecast. There’s an outside chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm over the lower waters of the bay and winds are predicted to shift from westerly to northwest and then to the north by late afternoon.
Looking ahead to Sunday, the area braces itself to once again be engulfed by “excessive heat and humidity" making an unwelcome comeback. The NWS warns to anticipate high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s east of the Blue Ridge. They go on to caution that heat indices will head back over the 100-degree mark reminding residents that while today might be cooler, it's critical not to be fooled into complacency. As the weak high pressure offshore gradually gives way, thunderstorm chances will also have to increase, especially in the terrain due to orographic lifting effects where isolated to scattered storms could develop.
For now, tides are expected on their way down over the next day or two an indication of the transient yet significant influence of the stationary front. Baltimore residents hunkering down for the return of high temperatures would do well to enjoy today's milder weather while it lasts.
