Monday was a summer beauty in Washington — but one that’s all too rare
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Version 0 of 1. Summer interns as well as those just starting their careers have been flooding into the capital in recent days, and among the things they probably need to be told is that Washington is not like this. It’s not this pleasant — the weather, that is. Longtime residents have responded with amazed delight to recent days, recognizing their relatively dry, humidity-free summer rarity. Perhaps Monday was the loveliest of these days, with its dazzling sunshine, picturesque clouds, and blissful absence of uncomfortable atmospheric moisture. For much of the morning on Monday, the mercury was in the 70s. That is a thermal region about which complaints are seldom voiced. The high temperature of 84 was three degrees below normal, and it was probably warm enough to suit anyone’s dream of an idyllic summer day. But what may have been best of all was how crisp and dry it seemed. Perhaps no ideal measure exists for that, but the heat index may be considered. On summer’s most uncomfortable days, temperatures reach the high 90s, and the heat index, we are constantly told, says we feel even hotter. Often a lot hotter. But on Monday afternoon, the heat index here was actually lower than the thermometer reading. When it was 84 at Reagan National Airport at 4 p.m., the heat index was only 82. Remember, interns, and new graduates, it will not remain so. |