Washingtonians should brace themselves for potentially the hottest summer since at least 2020, with long stretches of 90-degree weather and the chance to surpass the century mark for the first time since 2016. Factoring in the District’s trademark humidity, expect brutal, sauna-like conditions at times.
Washington, D.C
Why this could be D.C.’s hottest summer in at least several years
The summer will mark a continuation of a very warm start to 2024. Despite closing with some seasonably cool days, May will be the District’s sixth-consecutive warmer-than-normal month. While we haven’t hit 90 degrees since a few weeks ago and the air is delightfully refreshing, summer always prevails as we progress through June.
Although we don’t think it will be a memorably hot summer like those in the brutal stretch from 2010 to 2012 — the three hottest on record — this summer should be noticeably warmer than last year’s, when the number of 90-degree days was actually below normal and the average temperature was 0.8 degrees cooler than the norm.
Recent summers comparable to what we expect this year would be 2020 and 2016, which ranked fifth-hottest and third-hottest in records dating to 1872.
Assuming summer temperatures end up above normal as predicted, it’s worth noting that our “new normal” summer is hotter than it was a few decades ago. In other words, a summer that’s only somewhat warmer than normal in today’s climate would have been historically hot a few decades ago.
The area’s average high from July 6 to 27 is around 90 degrees, whereas it was previously in the upper 80s. Human-caused climate change has boosted average temperatures by over 1 degree in the past 30 years.
When putting together a summer outlook, we’re less likely to see the signals for extreme warmth or cold (relative to average) that we sometimes see in advance of winter. As such, this outlook is of low-to-medium confidence. This kind of seasonal forecasting is experimental, and errors are possible.
This outlook covers the period known as “meteorological” summer — or June 1 through Aug. 31.
Summer outlook by the numbers
June through August average temperature: About 1 degree above the average from 1991 to 2020.
Temperatures compared to average by month:
- June: 1 to 2 degrees above average.
- July: 1 degree above average.
- August: 1 degree above average.
Number of 90-degree days for June, July and August: 40, compared with an average of 34. Note that an additional six days of 90-degree temps occur on average outside June to August.
Longest streak of 90-degree days: 8 to 10 days.
Number of 100-degree days: 1 to 2.
Precipitation: Slightly below-average.
We considered several factors, described below, in preparing this outlook. It should be noted that any one factor doesn’t necessarily correlate with a particular kind of summer (e.g., warm, cool, dry or wet).
We are experiencing a rapidly waning El Niño event, and there’s a strong possibility that a La Niña pattern develops by late in the summer. The presence of either El Niño or La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean sometimes makes predicting summer conditions easier, as El Niños can favor cooler summers, while La Niñas favor hotter summers. When conditions are neutral, as we expect this summer, the signal from the Niño regions isn’t as strong.
In addition to El Niño and La Niña, we considered the persistently negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and predecessor weather patterns from the spring. These inputs informed the identification of analogues, or years with similar weather patterns, that we used in putting together our outlook.
In this case, the summers of 1998 and 2010 emerged as the best analogues. The weather during those summers was given some loose consideration in our projections for the one that is about to begin.
Washington, D.C
Nurses at Washington D.C.’s largest hospital call on leadership to reverse planned cuts to maternal health
RNs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center say closure of postpartum unit will disproportionately harm marginalized and underserved communities
Union nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. are demanding that management stop the planned closure of an entire postpartum unit, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). The hospital notified the union on May 26, 2026 of its intention to eliminate 11 maternal health beds and displace eight nurses by July 26, 2026, leaving MWHC with one postpartum unit.
In a follow-up town hall with staff nurses, Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek confirmed the closure. Other leaders have additionally informed staff that the hospital will strictly limit scheduled C-sections and inductions for patients from numerous D.C. maternal health organizations. The list of organizations includes many that primarily serve low-income patients, immigrants, and patients of color, all communities with significantly higher risks of maternal mortality. Additionally, staff were informed that Kaiser Permanente, which notably insures a large number of DC city employees and even many of MWHC’s own workers, will see a strict limit on scheduling inductions and C-sections for their patients as well.
“Closing postpartum unit 5F will gravely impact those most affected by health disparities,” said Stephanie Sims-Coates, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Our low-income families and families of color will be most affected by this closure. Families trust the medical staff at MWHC and plan to come to us for their care. In a city where Black women make up 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths despite being only half the population, the hospital’s decision to close this unit is a significant mistake.”
Community leaders and healthcare workers are joining the call for MedStar to put patients before profits and keep the unit open. This past weekend, nurses met with D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 4 councilwoman Janeese Lewis George about the planned closure and the impact it would have on DC’s most vulnerable residents.
“Maternal mortality is a crisis for Washington, DC, and our healthcare system needs to address the crisis immediately, rather than exacerbate the challenges that birthing parents face,” said Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George. “Now is the time to invest in health care, rather than make cuts. I want to work with the hospital to identify solutions that work for patients and the provider.”
“In my time at Washington Hospital Center, I’ve seen the hospital tout its Safe Moms, Safe Babies program and host a community baby shower specifically designed to call attention to the maternal mortality crisis,” said Marcqueata “Tiya” Butler, RN in the Mother/Baby unit. “Their current plan to shut down 11 postpartum beds betrays the hospital’s stated commitments. They are aware of persistent inequities in access to care. We are calling on the hospital to consider the impacts on the community, safeguard the mothers and infants of DC and commit to addressing the maternal mortality rate.”
In 2024, MedStar Health, a registered non-profit, reported $9 billion in operating revenue.
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
The LINE DC is delighted to announce the appointment of Sherry Abedi as its new General Manager. In her new role she will oversee all aspects of the hotel, including operations, people and culture, sales and marketing, and guest experience strategy. Abedi will lead day-to-day hotel operations while driving programming, business development, and initiatives that strengthen the property’s connection to Washington D.C.’s cultural and creative communities.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Tuesday was the last day the D.C. Council could vote to enact an expanded curfew in time for summer.
7News learned it never even made it on the agenda for a discussion and went to council members to find out why.
For the next two months, it’ll be up to the mayor to declare a curfew until the permanent version kicks in. There is already a city curfew. The curfew that has been up for debate for more than a year is the expanded version of the curfew. The expanded version allows the Metropolitan Police Department to create zones where teens 17 and under cannot gather in groups of nine or more.
RELATED | DC curfews pushed large groups into local neighborhoods, some residents say
Mayor Muriel Bowser currently has her own curfew order in place, which ends Saturday. The mayor can continue issuing an order. Councilmembers against the expanded curfew said that’s why it doesn’t need to come from the council.
In a video posted two weeks ago, D.C Council public safety chair Brooke Pinto said she wanted her councilmembers to vote to fill the gap today. 7News asked her why she never presented it to the council.
“Unfortunately, in working with my colleagues over the last several weeks, we did not have the votes,” said Pinto. “We have to have enough votes to pass the law and make sure that we didn’t have a gap.”
Bowser, in a letter to council Tuesday, said councilmembers Trayon White, Robert White, Zachary Parker, Brianne Nadeau and Janese Lewis-George are “blocking the will of the public and majority of council.”
7News spoke to three of the members she called out about the mayor’s pushback.
“I reject the rhetoric and the political games that are being played, and I’m wanting for us to get to the bottom of how do we stop the teen takeovers and the delinquent behavior we’ve been seeing,” Parker said.
“I stand by my belief that a curfew policy is a failed policy, kind of smoke and mirrors, and what we really needed is investments in our young people, so I’m pretty firm on that,” Nadeau said.
“We have to choose our tools and the time we use those tools. I’ve supported the curfew in the past, but I think with the current surge of more federal troops that have been impending, we’re putting our youth in even more danger by extending that work. I know the executive has put in an emergency executive order that will fill the gap. I hope that comes alongside extended hours, I’ve funded at DPR, extended weekends, and opening more safe spaces for youth here in the city. And that’s the solution that we do agree on,” Lewis-George said.
The mayor has not confirmed if she’ll issue another order, but it is on the table.
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