Washington, D.C.: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia


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===Climate===

Washington is in the northern periphery of the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone. Its climate is typical of [[Mid-Atlantic States|Mid-Atlantic U.S.]] areas removed from bodies of water, with four distinct seasons. Summer tends to be hot and humid with daily high temperatures in July and August averaging in the high 80s to low 90s (in °[[Fahrenheit|F]]; about 30° to 33&nbsp;°[[Celsius|C]]). The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in the area. The combination of heat and humidity can also be reminiscent of a true [[tropical climate]]. Spring and fall are mild with high temperatures in April and October averaging in the high 60s to low 70s (about 20&nbsp;°C). Winter brings sustained cool temperatures and occasional snowfall. Average highs tend to be in the low 40s (6 to 8&nbsp;°C) and lows in the mid 20s (-5 to -2&nbsp;°C) from mid-December to mid-February. <ref>http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/garden/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/21211?from=36hr_bottomnav_garden</ref> While [[tropical cyclone]]s (or their remnants) occasionally track through the area in late summer and early fall, they have often weakened by the time they reach Washington partly because of the city's inland location. Flooding of the Potomac River, however—caused by a combination of high [[tide]], [[storm surge]], and storm [[surface runoff|runoff]]—has been known to cause extensive property damage in Georgetown and Old Town [[Alexandria, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Vogel|first=Steve|title=Bulk of Flooding Expected in Old Town, Washington Harbour | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/27/AR2006062701527.html|date=2006-06-28|work=The Washington Post|page=B02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=City of Alexandria|title=Hurricane Isabel After Action Report|date=2004-05-25|url=http://ci.alexandria.va.us/city/citizencorps/isabelafteraction.pdf| format=PDF | accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref> Spring is generally the most favorable time of year, with low humidity, mild temperatures and blooming foliage. This period generally lasts from late March until mid May. Because the [[heat island]] effect is not as pronounced, temperatures of the Dulles Airport area and suburbs to the west and north are on average 6 to 7 °F (3 °C) cooler than Washington year-round, so a weather forecast for the city may not be accurate.

The average annual snowfall is 15&nbsp;[[inch]]es (381&nbsp;[[millimetres|mm]]) and the average high temperature in January is 41&nbsp;°F (5&nbsp;°C); the average low for January is 27&nbsp;°F (-3&nbsp;°C). The highest recorded temperature was 106&nbsp;°F (41&nbsp;°C) on [[July 20]], [[1930]] and [[August 6]], [[1918]] and the lowest recorded temperature was -15&nbsp;°F (-26&nbsp;°C) on [[February 11]], [[1899]].<ref>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</ref>

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|

| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;"|Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color: #000000" height="17" | Month

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Jan

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Feb

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Mar

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Apr

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | May

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Jun

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Jul

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Aug

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Sep

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Oct

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Nov

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" | Dec

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Rec High °F

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 75

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 79

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 89

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 93

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 97

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 100

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 104

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 104

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 99

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 90

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 84

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 79

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Norm High °F

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 41.4

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 45.5

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 55

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 65.9

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 74.6

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 82.8

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 87.4

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 85.9

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 78.9

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 67.7

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 56.5

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 45.9

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Norm Low °F

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 21.9

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 24.1

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 31.8

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 40.2

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 49.9

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 59

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 64

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 62.8

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 55.6

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 42.3

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 33.8

| style="text-align:center; background: #F4FFC0; color:#000000;" | 26

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Rec Low °F

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | -18

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | -14

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | -1

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 17

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 28

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 36

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 41

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 38

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 30

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 15

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | 9

| style="text-align:center; background: #FEE040; color:#000000;" | -4

|-

! style="background: #F3552E; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Precip (in)

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.05

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 2.77

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.55

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.22

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 4.22

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 4.07

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.57

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.78

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.82

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.37

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.31

| style="text-align:center; background: #FB9B13; color:#000000;" | 3.07

|-

| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|''Source: USTravelWeather.com [http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-dc/ Historical Washington Weather Data]''

|}

===Nature===