Arlington, Virginia 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

699
FXUS61 KLWX 021441
AFDLWX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
1041 AM EDT Wed Sep 2 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
No changes as of 10am.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
- 1) Daily severe weather threat through the end of the week.

- 2) Hot and humid conditions yield likely record high minimum
     temperatures this week.

- 3) Heat & thunderstorms begin to decrease heading into
     Labor Day weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

KEY MESSAGE 1...Daily severe weather threat through the end of
the week.

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms, some likely severe with
damaging winds, are likely this afternoon through Friday as
upper level disturbances move from the Great Lks into the Mid
Atlantic states. Two rounds of thunderstorms seem likely today,
one this afternoon, and a second one late this evening into the
overnight hours tonight into Thursday. Thunderstorms will ride
southeast along and north of a backdoor front currently pushing
south through northern VA and southern MD as seen on TDWRs and
wind shifts to the NE at IAD and DCA a couple of hours ago. The
severe threat will not be necessarily tied to the afternoon and
evening hours as record warm nighttime temperatures and high
humidity yield strong instability and keep thunderstorms going
strong well into the overnight hours.

By Friday, cold front should have cleared much of the forecast
area causing a stabilizing effect limiting the risk of severe
weather, but showers and thunderstorms will still be possible
north of the sfc front.


KEY MESSAGE 2...Hot and humid conditions yield likely record
high minimum temperatures this week.

Decent model agreement that areas south of US-33 and US-211 will
see heat indices meet heat advisory criteria this afternoon.
Based on yesterday`s high temperature readings and greater
confidence, issued Heat Advisories for the southern half of the
fcst area.

Thursday`s max temperature forecast has a lot more
uncertainty due to potential for more convection. If convection
doesn`t materialize, more record high minimums are possible
again today, but that doesn`t seem likely at this time, except
only at Charlottesville.

Record high minimum temperatures were set yesterday at IAD, DCA,
and HGR. RERs were issued earlier.


KEY MESSAGE 3...Heat & thunderstorms begin to decrease heading into
Labor Day weekend.

High pressure tracks southeast from the Great Lakes on Saturday,
pushing a cold front further south of the region. This should
bring a drop in heat & humidity across the Mid-Atlantic, with
afternoon highs ranging in the mid-80s on Saturday. As mid-level dry
air continues to track across the area, temperatures should continue
to decrease as the weekened goes on. By the Labor Day holiday, it
should feel relatively mild & dry, with dewpoints ranging in the
upper-50s across the region.

Thunderstorm chances also begin to decrease past Friday once the
cold front tracks to the south. A few showers & thunderstorms remain
possible along the Blue Ridge as low-level moisture persists
Saturday evening, but overall conditions should gradually clear as
the weekend progresses. Surface high pressure tracks overhead by
Monday, further reducing precipitation chances over the holiday.

&&

.AVIATION /14Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are expected this afternoon
through Friday. Given low confidence on timing, issued long
PROB30 groups for now. Some low cigs are expected at BWI and MTN
later this morning.

Prevailing VFR conditions are anticipated at terminals throughout
the weekend. A couple of thunderstorms remain possible in the
vicinity of KCHO through Saturday afternoon & evening. Light
northwesterly winds shift easterly by Sunday evening.

&&

.MARINE...
Winds 10kt or less outside of thunderstorms. SMWs will likely be
required at some point this afternoon and tonight and again
Thursday.

Wind gusts stay below 15 knots Saturday night and Sunday, with
northerly winds shifting northeast by Sunday.

&&

.CLIMATE...
Record high minimums were set yesterday at IAD, DCA, and HGR.
Please RERs for detail info. More record high minimums are
possible again today, mainly at CHO where convection is less
likely.

Below is a list of record warm temperatures for September 2 and
3.

(A `+` indicates the record also occurred in previous years).

The period of record for most sites dates back to the late 1800s,
except for Sterling-Dulles Airport which dates back to 1960.

====================================================================
                            SEPTEMBER 2
====================================================================
Site                      Record Daily High   Record Daily Warm Low
Baltimore (BWI) MD           99 (1953)            75 (1932+)
Washington DC               101 (1980)            78 (1980)
Sterling-Dulles Airport VA   99 (1980)            72 (2020+)
Baltimore (Downtown) MD      98 (1980+)           80 (1980)
Annapolis MD                 97 (1998)            79 (2018+)
Hagerstown MD               100 (1953)            73 (2018+)
Martinsburg WV              103 (1932)            72 (2000+)
Charlottesville VA          105 (1953)            80 (1930)

====================================================================
                            SEPTEMBER 3
====================================================================
Site                      Record Daily High   Record Daily Warm Low
Baltimore (BWI) MD           98 (2023)            79 (1993)
Washington DC                98 (1953)            79 (1993)
Sterling-Dulles Airport VA   99 (2023)            77 (1993)
Baltimore (Downtown) MD      98 (2023)            82 (1993)
Annapolis MD                 99 (1993)            79 (2018)
Hagerstown MD               100 (1953)            72 (2018+)
Martinsburg WV              102 (1953)            71 (1957)
Charlottesville VA          104 (1953)            75 (1930)

&&

.LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
DC...None.
MD...None.
VA...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for VAZ025>027-029-
     036>040-050-051-056-504.
WV...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for WVZ055-502-506.
MARINE...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...LFR/KLW/SRT
AVIATION...LFR/KLW/SRT
MARINE...LFR/KLW/SRT