Heat relief? Hug the AC, or pray for thunder
If you're sick of this endless, 90-plus heat, there's not much for you to like in this week's forecast. High pressure over the western Atlantic - the infamous Bermuda High - will continue to drive hot, damp air into the region.
The only relief in sight will be modest chances for a thunderstorm, if you're lucky enough to be 
under one. Otherwise, you'll have to stick close to your air conditioner, if you're lucky enough to have one. Or, take a cool shower.
The coolest day in the seven-day forecast for BWI won't come until Sunday. And by "cool" we mean perhaps the first day ahead that might hang below 90 degrees. Like, 89.
And the best chance for a shower or thunderstorm will come Tuesday night, when the probabilities rise to a whopping 40 percent.
The brutal reality is that we are stuck in a persistent pattern of hot weather. When the mercury tops 90 today it will mark the 33rd day of 2010 with a high of 90 degrees or more.
The average number of 90-plus days for an entire year is 29.4 days. The record is 54 days, in 1988. Anyone care to submit guesses on the total for 2010? I'll keep a tally and the reader coming closest by, say, Oct. 15 will win some cheap Sun swag.)
Fully half of June (16 days) and half of July so far (12 days, counting Monday) have reached 90 or more. Five have reached triple digits.
"Region is locked under a warm, moist air mass," forecasters said in this morning's discussion from Sterling. "There'll be a fair amount of cloud cover today. But when breaks develop, it will feel pretty uncomfortable. Heat indices this afternoon come in at just over 100 [degrees] for CD/Balt."
But it doesn't matter. We're used to it, they say: "Given acclimation has occurred by now, no heat advisory will be issued."
After all, we haven't had a below-average day since July 3. And, we haven't failed to break 80 since June 9.
The average temperature at BWI so far this month is 80.7 degrees (through Sunday), which is 4.5 degrees warmer than the long-term average. If it were to hold at that number through the end of the month, this would rank as the third-hottest July since the city's official weather station moved to the airport in 1950. Only 1955 (81.2 degrees) and 1995 (81.5 degrees) were hotter.
But, we have two weeks left to sweat through, and while this one looks like it will remain hot, maybe next week will bring us real relief.
How are you staying cool this week? In an air-conditioned office like me? At the beach? (Don't I wish.) Leave us a comment, or a stay-cool tip.
(SUN PHOTOS: Top: Karl Merton Ferron, July 2010/ Bottom: Barbara Haddock Taylor, May 2010)
Comments
Im going with 53 days- close to the record, but not quite. I am optimistic that August will be better than what we have had so far.
FR: Thanks for being the first entry. So far, you're the winner.
Posted by: Mather | July 19, 2010 12:03 PM
This heat is butual. I guess 38 days.
FR: OK. Remember, we're already at 33, with six more forecast this week. And we're guessing for the entire year.
Posted by: Ann | July 19, 2010 12:14 PM
I'm predicting we'll hit 55 days this year, just breaking the record. I'm hoping we only hit 38!!
As for keeping cool, I have the AC at work, and 2 box fans and 2 window fans that make for a breezy house.
Posted by: David | July 19, 2010 12:18 PM
59 days is my guess - I don't see this breaking for awhile, especially since last summer was very mild.
Posted by: Angel | July 19, 2010 12:32 PM
60 days. Born & bred in the DC area. September will take us over the top.
Posted by: Mark | July 19, 2010 12:48 PM
I'm guessing 62. I'm not usually a pessimist, but this has been a year of weather extremes. I figure we are about 1/2 way thru the "summer" -- however you want to count it.
Coping with the heat by trying to convince myself that it is "tropical." Yeah. That when I go out and sit on my back deck in the evenings (in the shade), I'm somewhere in the Caribbean. :-)
Posted by: Corine | July 19, 2010 1:48 PM
45.
I remember 1988 clearly.. we went to the dollar movies with my cousin and aunt, saw the longest movie they were playing "The Last Emperor" Not terribly appropriate for 4 kids 8 and under, but nearly 3 hours in bone chilling AC was great.
Posted by: Meekrat | July 19, 2010 1:57 PM
45 days. It's hot, but it will cool off I'm hoping.
Posted by: Mercedes | July 19, 2010 1:58 PM
64 DAYS- LAST YEAR AUGUST HAD A COUPLE OF HOT DAYS AND I THINK THIS YEAR IS NO DIFFERENT.WONDER WHAT THE WINTER HOLDS IN STORE FOR US :)
Posted by: ROBERTA | July 19, 2010 2:01 PM
I'll say 53 days! I think the record will just be missed. I love the heat and would take this ANY day over blizzards!
Posted by: Karen | July 19, 2010 2:51 PM
I remember when I was little, there was an old man saying that if you get cold winter days, approximately 6 months later you'll get really hot days.
I looked two times at temperatures' historical data and can say that in most cases he was right.
FR: Yep. Winters, cold. Summers, hot.
Posted by: Atat | July 19, 2010 3:17 PM
Put me down for 55 days Frank. With seasonal records falling left and right, why not another.
FR: Got it. Let's see. With 33 days of 90 degrees or more already under our belts, and 165 days remaining in the year, those would seem to be the mathematical (if not the meteorologically probable) limits here: minimum 33; maximum 198 (33 plus 165). "Roberta," at 64, has everything from 64 to 198 covered. That is, until someone picks 65.
Posted by: Cody | July 19, 2010 4:13 PM
Frank, I'm hoping that the majority of those 165 days remaining will be well below 90!
FR: Ditto. Can't use the back deck. Front of the house is a frying pan since we chopped down the big old (overgrown) Bartlett pear tree. Here's to better weather by October.
Posted by: Corine | July 19, 2010 5:24 PM
Hi Frank,
I am going with 47 and hoping for that late August Cool down we usually get.
Fran In Baltimore
Posted by: F Smith | July 19, 2010 6:32 PM
I'll go for 65 days - although I hope I'm wrong. Being quite pregnant in all these 90+ days is not fun!
Posted by: Laura | July 19, 2010 6:38 PM
I'm going to say 61 days. I could use some cheap Sun swag.
Posted by: Jack | July 19, 2010 7:33 PM
I'm going with a linear rate = 61 days!
Posted by: Amer | July 20, 2010 9:31 PM