The District hit a sweltering record-tying high of 104 degrees Tuesday afternoon — the third straight 100-degree-plus day — as health providers reported an uptick in suspected heat-related illness and some summer programs for kids were moved inside.
Washington, D.C
D.C. heat hits 104 degrees as people seek shelter and AC
Temperatures are expected to remain high again Wednesday, before returning closer to normal on Thursday.
Capital Weather Gang reports the District had gone nearly eight years without reaching 100 until June 22, when it again touched the century mark. The recent heat wave has prompted local governments to take action.
D.C. Public Schools, which hosts several academic programs and camps during the summer months, canceled outdoor activities due to extreme temperatures, a district spokeswoman said. Surrounding school districts — including those in Arlington and Fairfax County — also moved to cancel outdoor programs, such as recess and team practices.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) on Saturday activated an Extended Heat Emergency through Wednesday, opening cooling centers and homeless shelters around-the-clock.
Despite health warnings, urgent care centers affiliated with Inova have seen an uptick in heat-related illnesses this month and have sent several people to emergency rooms for IV fluids and testing, said Meredith Porter, the medical director for the 22 GoHealth locations in Northern Virginia.
Mild heat-related illness can begin with swelling in extremities and muscle cramping and progress to heat exhaustion with dizziness, headache and fatigue, both of which can be treated at most urgent cares. But heat stroke, with neurological symptoms, such as confusion and agitation, requires rehydration at an emergency department.
Porter stressed that anyone, regardless of age and health status, can be sidelined by the high heat and humidity our region and East Coast are experiencing.
“Most of these heat-related illnesses are largely preventable,” Porter said. “Anybody can be affected by a heat-related illness so having that awareness is the most important part of this.”
Anyone who works outside, such as athletes, construction workers, firefighters and medics as well as members of the military, should take extra precautions, she said.
High risk groups include people who are under 15 and above 65, pregnant, have chronic medical conditions like heart and lung disease and diabetes, are taking certain medications and have experienced heat exhaustion or heat stroke in the past, Porter said.
People experiencing homelessness or anyone lacking access to shade, air conditioning or water also need extra attention at this time, she said.
She urged residents to check on elderly neighbors and make sure to stay hydrated with water, not caffeine or alcohol, wear light loose clothing and a hat, use sunscreen and even an umbrella. It’s never safe to leave children or pets alone in a car, but that’s critical in a heat wave, she said.
Monday was so hot that piece of the Blue and Yellow Line metal track near National Airport bent sideways, causing what is known as a “heat kink.”
Metro spokeswoman Whitney Nichels says the bent rail was fixed overnight and the rail was fully functional as of Tuesday.
Any time outside temperatures rise above 90 degrees, Metro workers check the rail lines for kinks, which can happen when the heat has made the metal expand beyond its cross ties. If the rails are 135 degrees or hotter, trains have to slow down on outside track to 35 miles an hour to avoid a catastrophe caused by deformities in the rail line.
The extreme temperatures made Carla Brewster think twice Tuesday afternoon when she walked across Montello Street in Northeast Washington and found a man unable to respond.
Brewster, 40, of Trinidad, cautiously jostled him and tried to give him food and water, but ultimately called 911.
Paramedics, unsure whether drugs, alcohol, the high temperatures or some combination of factors were to blame, moved him to a cool ambulance where they tucked ice packs around him and rushed him to a hospital.
“His head was under the tree, his body was hanging out in the street, if somebody decided to park they probably would have run over him,” she said. “I know it’s hot out here.”
Ian Livingston, Jason Samenow and Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.
Where better to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and the country’s rich history than the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. A new exhibit, which opened Thursday, tells the United States’ 250-year history with 250 objects.
This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.
250 objects for 250 years at the National Museum of American History
Where better to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and the country’s rich history than the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in D.C. A new exhibit, which opened Thursday, tells the United States’ 250-year history with 250 objects.
Visitors will see the museum mainstays like the original American flag that inspired the “Star Spangled Banner” and the desk where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, but the new exhibit “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” will also show some artifacts never before displayed.
“A surfboard that was used by Duke Kahanamoku, who is a Native Hawaiian surfer who really popularized surfing to the world. He was an Olympian and we have his massive, 9-foot surfboard that he shaped in Southern California in 1928,” said Theo Gonzalves, a curator at the National Museum of American History.
The exhibit covers the history of the nation through political action, including a sweater worn by a young woman during a school walkout during the Civil Rights Movement and a Tea Party sign from the 2010s.
It also delves into military history with the Revolutionary War’s gunboat “Philadelphia,” and a uniform worn by Gen. George Washington.
Pop culture, lifestyle and entertainment are also front and center.
“We have a Nintendo game set and so there are folks that are looking at their at that Nintendo game set, and they’re thinking, ‘I can’t believe that that’s now part of history,’” Gonzalves said. “I’m old enough to realize what Nintendo was for our generation, but it is part of American history.”
Megan Smith, the head of experience development at the museum, said a seemingly mundane object is one of her favorite artifacts in the museum.
“Hidden in a kind of boring looking exterior, which is a file cabinet that contains over 52,000 jokes written by Phyllis Diller,” she said. “Phyllis Diller was one of the first female stand-up comedians in America. It’s just an ordinary filing cabinet, but it’s filled with her career basically, and her creative process and all of her knowledge.”
Scientific and technological achievement throughout American history is also celebrated, including the first radiocarbon dating machine from the 1950s.
Anthea Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan director of the museum, said staff at the museum had to whittle down nearly 2 million artifacts to 250 artifacts that define American history.
“To take 2 million to get down to 250, and the curators did a beautiful job. The whole team did a lot of thinking about what are those objects that help show us in action as a people? Help understand the dreams that we’ve put into the declaration, how it’s expanded, who it includes,” she told WTOP.
She said the exhibit is the brainchild of over three years of curation work.
The National Museum of American History is open every day but Christmas.
“I hope people see themselves reflected in our work and in these objects,“ Hartig said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Washington, D.C
The Work Behind the Welcome: NPS Tradespeople Restore Dupont Circle, Making D.C. Safer and More Beautiful (U.S. National Park Service)
NPS / Kelsey Graczyk
The hands behind the place
This work took more than plans. It took craftsmen and craftswomen.
NPS carpenters, masons, maintenance workers, preservation specialists, engineers and landscape architects worked together to renew the circle from the ground up. Crews installed about 10,000 feet of wood slats, cut and placed dowels, sanded rough surfaces, repaired worn concrete legs and painted benches to withstand weather and daily use.
Contractors also repaired fountain pipes and restored stone and marble features, returning moving water to the heart of the circle.
“I used to write project plans for this kind of work,” retired NPS Asset Manager Fred Francis said. “Now I’m out here helping do it. I’m working with a great group of people who are experts in their fields.”
Homelessness in the D.C. region ticked up slightly from 2025 to 2026, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Homelessness in the D.C. region ticked up slightly from 2025 to 2026, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Christine Hong, chair of the council’s Homeless Services Committee and chief of services to End and Prevent Homelessness with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, presented the findings at the council’s Wednesday meeting.
The report centers on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mandated point-in-time count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
“This year, the count was conducted on Feb. 4. We had to postpone it one week due to the extreme cold and winter weather event that we experienced the week prior,” Hong said. “Although it’s an imperfect measure, it provides an important regional snapshot of homelessness on a single night.”
The D.C. region reported 9,790 total people experiencing homelessness, an increase of 131 people or about 1% from 2025. The year-over-year regional change was modest. This count is closer in line to the 2019 number, before the pandemic.
“The regional story is that homelessness fell during the pandemic era, a period when expanded federal resources and emergency protections were in place, and then increased after those temporary supports ended,” Hong said. “The main takeaway is that regional homelessness is no longer increasing at the pace seen in 2023 and 2024, and is in line with the years immediately preceding the pandemic.”
Results varied by jurisdiction.
D.C. had the largest numerical increase, with 225 additional people counted. Prince George’s County, Maryland, had 175 additional people counted, a 29% increase. Montgomery County saw the largest decrease, down by 390 people or 26%. Hong pointed to the county’s investment in short-term housing.
“Montgomery County also spent a great deal to expand emergency shelter for families, because we are committed to ensuring no family with children would sleep outside even one night,” she said.
The count also included detailed information on race, veterans and household types.
“The broader evidence is clear, and is referenced in the report, that housing costs and the cost of living are major drivers of homelessness risk, especially for families with low income,” Hong said. “In practical terms, this means family homelessness is closely tied to whether low-income families can find and maintain housing.”
Read the full report here.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
-
Montana1 minute agoLawsuit seeks to “cement legality” of corner crossing in Montana
-
Nebraska7 minutes agoStarting fires helped contain a Nebraska wildfire — and ignited another – Flatwater Free Press
-
Nevada13 minutes agoBest Nevada high schools for athletes? One study has revealed a top 25
-
New Hampshire19 minutes agoDAY 4 Now, What To Do About Taxes in NH?
-
New Jersey25 minutes agoBest burgers in New Jersey? 15 spots for classic and inventive burgers
-
New Mexico31 minutes agoFind out how New Mexico hospitals rank for patient safety
-
North Carolina37 minutes agoNorth Carolina couple accused of causing vulture invasion sued by furious town: ‘Not good neighbors’
-
North Dakota43 minutes agoDust storms rage in North Dakota and South Dakota