Washington experienced temperatures over 100 degrees for four consecutive days this week, matching the district’s own record.
The capital reached triple digits from July 14 to 17, with a peak temperature of 104 degrees on July 16. The heat index, which considers relative humidity, reached 108 degrees, tying the date record set in 1988.
Temperatures hit 102 degrees on July 15 and 101 degrees on July 14, setting new records for those dates. On July 17, the temperature was 101 degrees, just shy of the date record of 102 degrees set in 1980.
However, the streak of high temperatures is coming to an end. A forecaster at the National Weather Service (NWS) Baltimore/Washington office mentioned that a cold front has moved in, keeping temperatures in the low 90s.
This four-day streak matches the longest period of 100 degree-plus heat in Washington, previously recorded in 1930 and 2012.
The highest temperature ever recorded in July in Washington was 106 degrees on July 20, 1930. Other notable high temperatures include 105 degrees on July 7, 2012, and July 10, 1936, and 104 degrees on July 9, 1936, July 21, 1926, and July 29, 2011.
In Baltimore, temperatures also surpassed 100 degrees over the same four-day period, reaching 104 degrees on July 16 and 102 degrees on July 15.
Raleigh, North Carolina, saw temperatures of 100 degrees on July 15 and a record-breaking 101 degrees on July 16.
These forecasts indicate high heat index levels of over 100 degrees in many parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states, in the coming days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
