D.C. may take pride in its reputation for sultry summertime swelter, but Friday seemed the sort of day for wondering what all the fuss was about and whether the reputation was deserved.
Washington, D.C
Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms Hit Peak Bloom Way Early
![Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms Hit Peak Bloom Way Early Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms Hit Peak Bloom Way Early](https://img2-azrcdn.newser.com/image/1524363-12-20240318015047.jpeg)
Washington, DC’s famed cherry blossoms hit peak bloom Sunday—about two weeks earlier than is typical, and tied with the year 2000 as the second-earliest date on record. Experts say it’s yet another consequence of climate change, with warmer weather speeding along the bud development cycle, the Washington Post reports. Most of the cherry tree buds made it through the entire cycle in 15 days this year; peak bloom is defined as the time when 70% of the trees are flowering. Cherry trees, or sakura, are even more iconic in Japan than DC (the oldest ones in the US capital were gifts from Japan, planted in Washington in 1912), and they’re blooming earlier than usual in that country, too, Time reports.
In both countries, it’s an ongoing trend, with peak bloom shifting gradually earlier over time. “Spring is most definitely starting earlier than when you were a kid,” says one expert who works at an organization tracking seasonal changes. Another possible change in the future: If winter temperatures rise to a certain point, the trees won’t experience the necessary degree of chill they need in order to ensure they “awaken” with the warmth of spring. (More than 150 of the trees are being removed in DC as part of an effort to fix sea walls, and people are saying goodbye to one tree in particular nicknamed “Stumpy.”)
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Washington, D.C
D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary
![D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary D.C.’s Friday weather seemed special for being ordinary](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AZSILVEBCMI6XPRCGLJTDWDVGA.jpg&w=1440)
But Friday failed to inflict on the District the harsh meteorological extremism of many days earlier this month — including the four with temperatures above 100 degrees.
However, if averages mean much, they may suggest that days such as Friday cannot readily be relied on to appear here always or often in July.
The average temperature in Washington on Friday’s date now stands at 90 degrees. So it would seem that part of Friday’s allure lay in the five-degree gap between its temperature and the District’s average July 26 temperature.
Possibly Friday’s sense that summer had a benign side, might have been earned physiologically. The many days of extreme and above average temperatures this summer have likely caused acclimatization and a process of adjustment.
But cloudy skies also played an obvious part in moderating Friday’s conditions.
For much of the day, clouds shielded the city from the wilting effects of the summertime sun. It is just a little more than five weeks since the sun was at its absolute annual acme.
Feeling its full late-July strength for protracted periods in the glare of streets without shade, with solar rays reflected from concrete and marble would have made Friday seem far less comfortable than it did.
A major contributor to Friday’s welcome as a well-behaved emissary of summer was the humidity. Or the relative absence thereof.
When summer seems to be at its most intolerable it is ascribed to the joint effect of severe heat and oppressive humidity. Friday was neither too hot nor too humid.
To know the absolute temperature was to know the “feels-like” temperature. Through the day, they were close to identical, meaning that humidity declined to make an 85-degree day seem worse than it was.
This was reflected in the day’s dew points, which were confined to the 50s, a location regarded as comfortable.
Washington, D.C
D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit
![D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit D.C. Bars and Restaurants Getting Into the Olympic Spirit](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ymK3CEFAEwy6RHwLczpMSNZgvn0=/0x301:4200x2500/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25547430/ASTRO071824_0006.jpg)
During the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, we were just emerging from the pandemic and the competition was played in front of a mostly empty audience. Fast forward a few years, and Paris is the backdrop for sport’s biggest stage and millions are expected to descend upon the City of Lights to watch their country hopefully bring home a medal.
For those opting to remain stateside, there are plenty of restaurants in our nation’s capital getting into the Olympic spirit. Think fabulous French bites, themed beverages, and live broadcasts of select events. There are enough participating spots to visit a different one every day of the Games (July 26-August 11). Eater just obtained D.C.’s list of 74 bars that got the okay to stay open around the clock — and serve alcohol from 6 a.m. to 4 a.m. — during the duration of the Olympics, which includes well-known names like Service Bar, Vera, Mission, Capo Deli, and Midlands.
Scroll on to find out where to cheer on Team USA’s athletes while partaking in limited-edition food and drinks.
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Washington, D.C
Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News
![Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News Bigger, stronger, safer: DC’s new Douglas Street pedestrian bridge reopens – WTOP News](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_3170.jpg)
The Douglas Street pedestrian bridge’s construction took three years and $17 million to rebuild, after it collapsed in June of 2021 after being struck by the load of a large truck.
Thousands of pedestrians in Ward 7 will be safer Thursday thanks to the reopening of the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue.
“It’s safer, it’s wider, and it’s better lit,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the bridge’s grand opening on Thursday. “It has improved sidewalks.”
At the inaugural walk across the new bridge, the mayor — joined by the city’s Department of Transportation and members of the community — pointed out that people of all abilities will have an easier time using the bridge.
“Whether they are using a cane or a wheelchair, they will be able to access this very important pedestrian asset,” Bowser said.
The bridge crosses over the I-295 corridor in Northeast and will help those that live in the neighborhoods of Parkside, Mayfair and Eastland Gardens get to the Deanwood Metro station.
The bridge’s construction cost about $17 million.
“I’m 61 years old, I don’t like going all the way around,” said Claude McCain, of Kenilworth. He told WTOP that the new pedestrian bridge will save him 40 minutes of extra walking a day.
The original Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge was built in the 1950s and had become structurally damaged and was deteriorating, according to D.C. officials.
“It was low. It ended before the service lanes. It was really unsafe for pedestrians,” said Sharon Kershbaum, acting director of D.C.’s Department of Transportation. “This is an upgrade in every sense of the way.”
She told WTOP that nearly $14 million of the $17 million bridge was funded by grants from the federal government.
After the inaugural walk across the bridge, Mayor Bowser expressed appreciation to the members of DDOT that were in attendance.
“I want to say thank you to all the people you see in the yellow jackets because they were able to get this bridge up and keep the highway open,” Bowser said.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge collapsed in 2021. The Lane Place bridge actually collapsed in 2021 after being struck by a truck. Our article has been updated with the correct information, and we apologize for the error.
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