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Just how rainy was Saturday? Historically rainy

WASHINGTON — The National Weather Service recorded 4.64 inches of rain in D.C. as 11:25 p.m. on Saturday, more than double the previous record.

The old record for July 21 was 2.56 inches set back in 1911.

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All three D.C. area airports broke records for most rainfall on July 21 by recording at least 4 inches of rain. Dulles International Airport recorded more than 5 inches of rain, nearly four times its previous record set back in 1973.

Saturday’s rainfall was a top-10 event for the District.

The 4.64 inches of rain is the tenth highest recorded rainfall in a single day in D.C. The record for a single day was set back on Aug. 23, 1933, when a whopping 6.39 inches of rain fell in the city.

It was also the second largest rainfall in a single day in July, just slightly behind the record of 4.69 inches set back on July 9, 1970.

The last time the District saw at least 4 inches of rain was on Sept. 30, 2010, when 4.66 inches of rain fell.

Outside of D.C., some places recorded more than 6 inches of rain.

Charles County, Maryland, evidently saw the most rain in the D.C. area. A trained spotter for the National Weather Service recorded 7 inches of rain in Ripley at 9:15 p.m.

The second highest total was in Fairfax County, Virginia, where a trained spotter recorded 6.51 inches in Burke as of 8:37 p.m., which was slightly more than the 6.50 inches recorded in Montgomery County, Maryland, by a trained spotter in Washington Grove.

Two other locations in Maryland recorded more than 6 inches of rain. At 10:04 p.m., a trained spotter recorded 6.02 inches of rain in Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and in Calvert County a trained spotter recorded 6.39 inches of rain in Prince Frederick at 11:04 p.m.

The bad news is more rain is in the forecast on Sunday, but it shouldn’t be anywhere near as much as we saw on Saturday.

In case you were wondering, the record for most rain on July 22 was set back in 1969 when 4.35 inches fell in D.C.

Hot, humid week ahead for DC area with severe storm risk

A dangerous heat wave will grip the D.C. area through Thursday, with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat index values between 100 and 105. Hot and humid conditions are expected through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which said to expect daily thunderstorm chances and a risk of severe thunderstorms. 7News Meteorologist Eileen Whelan told WTOP that most of Tuesday will stay dry, but a few late-day thunderstorms are possible, especially north and east of D.C. as storms drift south from Pennsylvania. Any storm could produce damaging wind gusts and hail, but Whelan reiterated "storm chances are low" on Tuesday. Due to a lack of air conditioning, Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland, closed early at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Prince George's County Public Schools said in a social media post.
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