Scattered thunderstorms rumbled through the D.C. area Wednesday, bringing brief bursts of hail and heavy winds. But a hazy Thursday brings cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Here’s what you need to know. Scattered thunderstorms — some severe — popped up around the D.C. area Wednesday afternoon, bringing heavy winds and hail as a cold front lurched through the region. The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the area, and any storms that popped up ended before sunset. Thursday is shaping up to be a much nicer day with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. An earlier wave of severe storms Wednesday afternoon spurred a handful of severe thunderstorm warnings to points north and west of the District in parts of Frederick County in Maryland and Loudoun County in Virginia and, separately, in Southern Maryland in Southern Prince George’s and Charles County. Earlier storms rumbled through Southeast D.C. as well as part of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and parts of Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia, bringing a heavy, quick burst of hail.
You can see leaves stripped by hail flying above I-295 near Blue Plains earlier this hour pic.twitter.com/LUdUQHpSIJ
— Dave Dildine (@DildineWTOP) July 21, 2021
Stinneford said one of those earlier storms blasted parts of the Capital Beltway with wind gusts of 51 mph recorded at Reagan National Airport around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. More storms were expected, including during the evening rush-hour commute, as a cold front moves through the region’s sultry hazy air. Separately, a Code Orange air quality alert had been issued Wednesday for people with sensitive respiratory systems because of the haze brought to the East Coast from the western U.S. and central Canadian wildfires. Thursday is expected to be sunny and comfortable, but still hazy.
A cold front will pass through this afternoon bringing a slight risk for severe storms along with it. However, the upside is worth the risk because fresher air will follow in behind the front. Our terrible, smoky gray skies today will turn blue tomorrow and temps will drop too. pic.twitter.com/4qU6nzmsiu
— Chuck Bell (@ChuckBell4) July 21, 2021
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Forecast
Wednesday night: Any storms ending early, then gradual clearing. Hazy. Becoming less humid. Lows: upper 50s in northern Maryland, low- to mid 60s elsewhere. Thursday: Mostly sunny but hazy. Warm but comfortable. Highs: low- to mid 80s. Friday: Partly sunny. Seasonably warm and bit more humid. An isolated afternoon thunderstorm. Highs: low- to mid 80s. Saturday: Partly sunny. Warmer and more humid with a possible isolated storm in the afternoon. Highs: mid- to upper 80s.