Washington, DC

District of Columbia · Records since 1871–2026

☀️ 82°F
Currently in Washington
As of 1:45 PM EDT

Records for September 7

🔥 Record High

104°F

September 7, 1881

+20° from 84° normal

❄ Record Low

46°F

September 7, 1924

-21° from 67° normal
🌞 Normal high: 84°F 🌑 Normal low: 67°F 1991–2020 normals

All-Time Records — Washington

🔥
106°F
Hottest Day Ever
Jul 20, 1930
❄
-15°F
Coldest Day Ever
Feb 11, 1899
🌧
6.39"
Wettest Day Ever
Aug 23, 1933
☃
21.0"
Most Snow in One Day
Jan 28, 1922

Top 10 Record Highs — September 7

# Temp Date
🏆 104°F September 7, 1881
2 99°F September 7, 1954
3 98°F September 7, 2023
4 96°F September 7, 1985
5 95°F September 7, 1998
6 95°F September 7, 1983
7 95°F September 7, 1872
8 94°F September 7, 2016
9 94°F September 7, 2010
10 94°F September 7, 1900

Top 5 Record Lows — September 7

# Temp Date
🥶 46°F September 7, 1924
2 48°F September 7, 1903
3 49°F September 7, 1892
4 49°F September 7, 1883
5 51°F September 7, 1988
About this data — Records are sourced from the NOAA Threadex dataset via RCC ACIS, a quality-controlled record for long-term climate stations. Threadex adjusts for station relocations and observation-time changes, making records comparable across all years since 1871–2026. Climate normals represent the 1991–2020 average.

Heat Wave Summary — Washington

threshold: 94°F (90th percentile of historical Jun–Aug highs)
4.0
Avg heat wave length
days (historical)
98°
Avg peak temp
during heat waves
69
Dangerous nights 2026
Overnights ≥ 70°F
1
Heat waves 2026
so far

2026 Daily High Temperature vs Normal

Year to date
Above normal Below normal

124 of 249 days with data were above the 1991–2020 normal high for their date.

Days ≥ 90°F Per Year

1872–2026
49
2026 so far
33
Avg/year 1970–2025
46
Avg/year (last 10 complete)
67
Most in a year (1980)

Average Daily High by Decade

Full year · complete decades only

Longest Heat Waves — Washington

# Dates Days Peak Avg High Avg Overnight Low
🏆 Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 8, 2012 11 105°F (Jul 7) 100°F 76°F
2 Aug 1, 1980 – Aug 11, 1980 11 100°F (Aug 8) 97°F 77°F
3 Aug 11, 2002 – Aug 20, 2002 10 100°F (Aug 13) 97°F 76°F
4 Jul 19, 1987 – Jul 27, 1987 9 100°F (Jul 21) 97°F 77°F
5 Jul 28, 2002 – Aug 5, 2002 9 100°F (Aug 2) 97°F 76°F
6 Jun 29, 1901 – Jul 6, 1901 8 102°F (Jul 1) 97°F 73°F
7 Aug 26, 1980 – Sep 2, 1980 8 101°F (Sep 2) 97°F 75°F
8 Aug 10, 2016 – Aug 17, 2016 8 101°F (Aug 13) 98°F 77°F
9 Aug 27, 1953 – Sep 3, 1953 8 100°F (Aug 31) 98°F 72°F
10 Jul 4, 1993 – Jul 11, 1993 8 100°F (Jul 8) 98°F 77°F

Heat Waves Per Year

Warm Summer Nights (Jun–Aug)

Nights where the overnight low exceeded the 1991–2020 normal low

47
2026 total
above-normal nights
39.0
Avg / summer
1970–2020
65
Most in a summer
2010

Above-Normal Summer Nights Per Year

Average June–August Low by Decade

Overnight lows · complete decades only

Precipitation

Actual vs. 1991–2020 full-month and full-season normals

23.14"
2026 YTD
Normal: 28.67"
-5.53"
1.58"
September so far
September normal: 3.93"
-2.35"
3
2026 heavy rain days
Days with ≥ 1.0"

2026 Accumulation vs. Normal

Running total since Jan 1 against the normal pace for the same date · Washington is 5.53" behind the normal pace

Monthly Precipitation — Last 24 Months

Blue = actual · dashed line = monthly normal

Annual Precipitation Per Year (1871–2026)

Blue = above average · tan = below average · gold = 2026 (partial)
Since 1871, annual totals have trended -0.16" per decade, about -2.5" across the record.

Heavy Rain Days Per Year (≥ 1.0")

Compare year-to-year changes in days with heavy rainfall (≥ 1.0")

Month in Review — August 2026

80.1°F

Average temperature · August 2026

63rd-warmest month on record

17th-warmest August of 155 on record

+1.2° vs. 78.9° average (1991–2020)
84.5°F
Warmest month ever
July 2011
82.8°F
Warmest August ever
1980
11
Days ≥ 90°F
in August
103°F
Hottest of 2026
Jul 4

Longest 90°F Streak in August

5 consecutive days with highs of at least 90°F (Aug 6–10, 2026, peaking at 94°F)

The longest August streak since 2024 (2 years). The August record is 18 days, set in 1988.

Average August Temperature by Year

1872–2026 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.37° per decade (warming since 1872)

Precipitation — August 2026

Month total against the 1991–2020 average and every other August on record

4.27"
Total precipitation
August 2026
+1.02"
vs. average
Normal: 3.25" · 131% of normal
60th-wettest
August rank
of 156 on record
14.41"
Wettest August ever
1928 · driest 0.20" (2025)

August Precipitation by Year

1871–2026 · 2026 highlighted · trend -0.07" per decade (drier since 1871)

Wettest Augusts on Record

# Year Total
1 1928 14.41"
2 1906 14.36"
3 1955 14.31"
4 1875 12.93"
5 1933 9.91"
6 1905 9.75"
7 1942 9.49"
8 1967 9.17"
9 2021 9.07"
10 1948 9.00"

Driest Augusts on Record

# Year Total
1 2025 0.20"
2 1962 0.55"
3 1998 0.59"
4 1930 0.62"
5 1943 0.74"
6 1917 0.77"
7 1892 0.85"
8 1995 0.88"
9 1884 1.01"
10 2006 1.03"

Warmest Augusts on Record

# Year Avg Temp
1 1980 82.8°F
2 2016 82.7°F
3 1978 81.3°F
4 1995 81.3°F
5 2002 81.1°F
6 2018 81.0°F
7 1983 81.0°F
8 2012 81.0°F
9 2021 80.9°F
10 1988 80.7°F

Warmest Months on Record (Any Month)

# Month Avg Temp
1 July 2011 84.5°F
2 July 2012 84.0°F
3 July 2020 83.9°F
4 July 2024 83.7°F
5 July 1993 83.1°F
6 July 2010 83.1°F
7 July 1999 83.0°F
8 August 1980 82.8°F
9 August 2016 82.7°F
10 July 2016 82.7°F

Nearby Stations — August 2026

How the same month ranked at the closest reporting stations

Station Avg Temp August Rank
Washington, DC 80.1°F 17th of 155
Sterling-Dulles Airport, VA 77.5°F 13th of 65
Annapolis, MD 78.6°F 24th of 122
Baltimore Downtown, MD 79.9°F 26th of 73
Baltimore, MD 77.5°F 33rd of 155
About this data. Monthly averages are the mean of daily average temperatures, computed from NOAA Threadex records via RCC ACIS. Months missing more than three days of observations are excluded from the rankings, so the in-progress month never appears. Rankings cover 1,856 complete months on record. Precipitation totals sum the daily reports for the month, with trace amounts counted as zero. A month missing any day of precipitation data is left out entirely (an unreported day is unreported rain), so the precipitation ranking covers 156 complete Augusts. Normals are the 1991–2020 mean for the same calendar month. Trend lines are a least-squares fit across every year shown.

Fall in Review — Fall 2026

September 1 – November 30, 2026

Fall 2026 is still under way. Season totals and rankings appear once November closes; the markers below update as they happen.

Summer to Winter — 2026

Each turning point of the season against its 1991–2020 normal date, with the earliest and latest on record

Marker 2026 Normal vs. normal Earliest Latest Drift
Last 90°F day
The final day of summer heat
 Sep 4
so far
 Sep 12 Aug 3, 1890 Oct 11, 1919 +0.3 d/decade
Last 80°F day
The last genuinely warm afternoon
 Sep 6
so far
 Oct 17 Sep 8, 1876 Nov 18, 1921 +0.7 d/decade
First high below 50°F
The first afternoon that stays cold
 not yet Nov 10 Oct 6, 1935 Dec 10, 2001 +1.0 d/decade
First 32°F freeze
Growing season over
 not yet Nov 18 Oct 10, 1895 Dec 22, 2001 +1.7 d/decade
First 28°F hard freeze
Cold enough to end tender growth
 not yet Nov 30 Oct 26, 1879 Dec 30, 1994 +1.4 d/decade
First 20°F night
Winter cold arriving
 not yet — Nov 5, 1879 Dec 29, 1952 +1.1 d/decade
First measurable snow
0.1" or more in a day
 not yet Dec 8 Oct 10, 1979 Dec 31, 1980 +0.7 d/decade

Drift is a least-squares fit across every year on record. Positive means the marker has been arriving later.

First Freeze by Year

The first 32°F night of each autumn since 1872 · trending +1.7 days later per decade

237
Normal length
1991–2020 average
275
Longest on record
1980
168
Shortest on record
1874

Growing Season Length by Year

Days between the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze · trending +3.0 days longer per decade

Fall Average Temperature by Year

1872–2025 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.36° per decade (warming since 1872)

Fall Precipitation by Year

1871–2025 · 2026 highlighted · trend +0.06" per decade (wetter since 1871)

About this data. Fall is meteorological autumn, September 1 through November 30, the window NOAA uses for seasonal statistics. Seasonal temperature is the day-weighted mean of the three monthly means; precipitation is their sum, and a season missing any of the three months is left out of the rankings. Freeze, heat and snow markers come from daily NOAA Threadex observations via RCC ACIS: freezes and snow are the first occurrence on or after July 1, and the last 90°F and 80°F days are the final ones anywhere in the calendar year. Growing season counts the freeze-free days between the last spring 32°F and the first fall 32°F.
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