The storms swept across the region from the west, on a day when the temperature touched 96 degrees in Washington for the second consecutive day.
The heat came as a blanket of moist air covered the area through most of the day Friday, discouraging outdoor activity, preventing the evaporation of perspiration and, particularly significant, providing fuel for the creation, growth and development of thunderstorms.
At two consecutive hours late Friday evening, it seemed clear that the atmosphere could hold little more moisture. At 4 p.m., the heat index noted that the “feels like” temperature was 108 degrees. The dew point had reached a fairly insufferable 76 degrees. Being outdoors gave the sense that the atmosphere had amassed almost all the water vapor it could possibly hold. Something, it seemed, would have to break. In the next hour, it seemed that the air around us was loading up with even more moisture.
The sun beat down. It all gave a sense that after the moderate weather we had enjoyed, the true Washington summertime was asserting itself. The dew point had inched up a notch to 77. The heat index said Washington felt like it was 109 degrees. Skies turned darker. In some spots, they seemed an unnatural pale yellow or perhaps even green.
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