Friday started out just like the previous days of this week – partly cloudy, hot and humid, but unlike Thursday, resumed the pattern of earlier in the week with cumulus clouds building and storms and showers quickly developing in the late afternoon/early evening with heavy rain and strong winds at times, with frequent lightning and thunder . We peaked with our hottest max temperature (93.9) of the day in the early mid-afternoon just ahead of the rainfall activity, along with the usual high dew points, reached in the mid afternoon morning, reaching 80 for the first time this year. The daily minimum temperature in the low 70s was reached in the late afternoon during the cooling storm action.

The peak winds (39 MPH) were quite strong during the thunderstorms in the later mid-afternoon hours while veering over to the hot, moist westerly direction. Barometric pressures were highest in the late morning while the lowest were in the mid afternoon hours.

Somewhat cooler upper 80s on Saturday with partly cloudy skies and further shower/storm chances with lows in the mid 60s. Sunday and Monday should cool down some more, with highs in the low 80s and lows in the mid 60s with partly cloudy and dry skies on Sunday but with shower possibilities under cloudier skies returning on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday follows suit with Monday’s cloudiness and shower/storm chances with highs in the low 80s and lows in the mid 60s.

Statistics for Friday:

High temp 93.9 at 1408

Low temp 72.7 at 1710

Max humidity 96% at 2344

Min humidity 52% at 1439

Max dew point 80 at 1551

Min dew point 70 at 0800

Max barometric pressure 30.11″ at 1054

Low barometric pressure 30.02″ at 1527

Peak Wind Gust (PWG) 39 MPH from the W at 1612

Friday’s average daily wind speed 4.9 (BWI) 4.1 (IAD)

Friday’s average sky cover 0.7 (BWI) 0.6 (IAD)

Note: Record high of 99 tied at IAD – 98 high at BWI not a record

Daily total precipitation 0.81″ (BWI 0.26″ IAD 0.02″)

August total precipitation 3.23″

Year-to-date total precipitation 22.25″

Sunrise 0621 (EDT)

Sunset 2006 (EDT)

Moon First Quarter

Currently at 0312 AM EDT Saturday we have clear skies with a temperature of 72.1, barometer 30.07″ and steady, relative humidity 95%, dew point 71, winds SW-W at 0-5 MPH. No rain has fallen since midnight into the tipping bucket VP2 gauge at the USG site across the street from me.

The attached image for today shows the approaching storm around 1545 on Friday (8/13) with the clouds building quickly out my apartment view, looking to the NE from Building B.