Here we go again.
After the hottest June on record in the District, the Washington area continues to sizzle and is on pace to set a new record for the hottest July ever recorded in the nation’s capital.
The mercury topped out at 100 degrees at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to again reach 100 on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
| Far from average | ||||||||
| July 2012 | Typical July | June 2012 | Typical June | |||||
| Monthly Average | 85.5 | 79.8 | 76.2 | 75.2 | ||||
| Average High | 95.1 | 88.4 | 85.9 | 84.2 | ||||
| Days above 90 | 12 (of 16) | N/A | 11 (of 30) | N/A | ||||
| Highest | 105 (July 7) | 89 | 104 (June 29) | 88 | ||||
| Source: National Weather Service | ||||||||
| Day by day | ||||||||
| Date | July 2012 high | Typical July high | ||||||
| 7/1 | 99 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/2 | 95 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/3 | 98 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/4 | 99 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/5 | 100 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/6 | 100 | 88 | ||||||
| 7/7 | 105 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/8 | 102 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/9 | 87 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/10 | 90 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/11 | 89 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/12 | 88 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/13 | 90 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/14 | 88 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/15 | 96 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/16 | 96 | 89 | ||||||
| 7/17 | 100 | 89 | ||||||
| Source: National Weather Service | ||||||||
The city broke June records last month, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees. National Weather Service meteorologists say, so far, this month has been even hotter. They’ve issued a heat advisory until 9 p.m. Wednesday and expect a heat index, or “feels like,” of 105 degrees.
“The last two years have been the hottest, then this year trumps everything,” said Robyn Johnson, a spokeswoman for the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
The city develops a Heat Emergency Plan each year, but Johnson said it has been used more this year than ever before.
Whenever the heat index tops 95 degrees, as it did Tuesday, a large group of government agencies spring into action. They open cooling centers, hand out water and prepare for heat-related illnesses.
Residents without access to air conditioning are also invited to public spaces, like libraries and swimming pools, in surrounding Virginia and Maryland jurisdictions.
There are even places for tourists to go if they don’t want to spoil their travel plans.
“We definitely think that the air conditioning in the museums is an attraction,” said Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas.
The buildings maintain a cool 72 degrees in order to preserve exhibits. When temperatures get unbearable, St. Thomas said, they see a spike in visitors.
“The [museums] are air conditioned like ice boxes,” New Jersey local Elaine Masino said as she cooled off beside the World War II Memorial.
“I was actually cold,” her husband, Anthony, chimed in. “It was freezing in [the National Archives]. That’s the key: Go into the Smithsonian when it’s the hottest. It cools you right off.”
But National Park Service spokeswoman Carol Johnson said others are more than happy to tough it out on the National Mall.
“We’re still seeing bus loads of people during the day,” she said. “People have planned their vacations, and they’re not going to stay in the hotel room. They want to see the sights and suffer the heat like the rest of us.”
Area officials recommend all the usual tips for protecting yourself in unusually hot weather: Stay indoors, drink water, protect your skin.
For the Masinos, these are lessons they only needed to learn once.
“My husband was making fun of me when I got the bigger bottle [of water],” Elaine said. “They had these little ones, and I was like, ‘No way. I’ll pass out.’ I got heat stroke one time when I was in Baltimore. Don’t need to do that again.”
