Washington DC Reaches a Record 80 Degrees
Washington, DC is having some crazy weather, like a ride on a rollercoaster that doesn’t stop.
Just a week after a big snowstorm and really cold temperatures, two important weather stations in the area broke records on Friday. It got as warm as it usually does in May, and it’s not just a record for the day – it’s the warmest January day ever in DC.
At Reagan National Airport, the temperature reached a super high 80 degrees, and it might go even higher before the day is over. This is not only a record for the day, but it beat the old record from February 21, 2018, by almost a month. Another place, Washington Dulles International Airport, also set a new record with 79 degrees, breaking both daily and monthly high temperature records.
Normally, in late January, the weather in DC is around 45 degrees. It’s more common for temperatures near 80 to happen in late May. The eastern part of the country is suddenly getting warmer because the upper levels of the atmosphere changed, allowing warm air from the Gulf of Mexico to move north. This quick change in weather comes after scientists said that last year, 2023, was the warmest ever recorded due to pollution from burning fossil fuels.
These very warm temperatures in DC are happening right after a lot of snow fell, ending a record of more than 700 days without having an inch of snow in a single day. The warm weather won’t last, though. This weekend, the temperatures will go back to normal, and it will rain. On Saturday, it will be in the mid-50s, and on Sunday, in the high 40s.
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