If your summer beach rental starts Saturday morning, be sure to bring your rain gear.
You can thank Tropical Storm Fay for that, which will make its presence felt along the Eastern Shore and the beach resorts in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware this weekend.
Along with storms bringing 2 to 4 inches of rain, anticipate some heavy winds, up to 50 mph, along the coast.
Rain should begin Friday and run through Saturday. West of Annapolis, however, the storm will only be evident through thick humidity, as rain chances are limited.
The local storms, if they do pop up, should be isolated to the east of the District, in Southern Maryland and Prince George’s County.
Farther west, toward Leesburg and the Shenandoah Valley, don’t expect to see much rain.
With the increasing cloud cover, Friday may break our 14-day streak of high temperatures over 90 degrees.
However, you won’t be able to sense much of a difference compared to the last few days, as the high on Friday should still be in the high 80s.
Storm Team4 meteorologist Chuck Bell said the rain may not make it west of the Bay Bridge, so outdoor activities you’ve got planned will be sweaty, but they shouldn’t be affected by the rain.
After a warm Friday night, where lows will only hit the mid-70s, Saturday will see temperatures once again in the low 90s.
Storm Team4’s Amelia Draper notes that if Friday touches 90, the hot weather streak could ultimately reach 24 days, as there’s no relief in sight. If that happens, the 24-day streak would be the longest on record in the D.C. area.
Sunday and Monday should bring more of the same summery, sultry weather. Daytime highs will reach the low 90s and each day should bring a chance of a storm that comes along with the thick humidity.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory Fay may produce 2 to 4 inches of rain as it moves along the East Coast. That’s down from earlier forecasts of about 3 to 5 inches of rain.
The storm picked up speed Friday morning, moving north around 10 mph and producing top sustained winds of 50 mph, forecasters said. Earlier observations showed it moving at 8 mph with top sustained winds of 45 mph.
Fay is the earliest sixth-named storm on record, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The previous record was Franklin on July 22, 2005, Klotzbach tweeted.
Two named storms formed before the official June 1 start of the hurricane season. None of this season’s previous five named storms strengthened into hurricanes.
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Forecast
Friday: Rain, heavy at times east of the Bay Bridge, drier in the District and to the western suburbs. Overall cloudy and muggy. Temps in the upper 80s.
Friday night: Clear and humid with lows only hitting the mid 70s.
Saturday: Hazy and hot with better rain chances along the shore due to Tropical Storm Fay. Chance of an isolated storm in the District. Temps in the lower 90s.
Sunday: Chance of scattered storms, but lessening as Fay moves out. Temps in the lower 90s.
Monday: Hot and humid with a chance of a pop-up summer storm. Temps in the lower 90s.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
