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DC Weather: Heat wave with triple-digit temperatures as summer officially begins

By Cesar Cornejo
Published  June 20, 2025 11:44am EDT
Severe Weather
FOX 5 DC
Heat wave on the way for DC

Heat wave on the way for DC

Major heat is ahead for the D.C. area, with extreme temperatures expected starting this weekend.

The Brief

    • A brief break in the humidity Friday brings sunshine and near-normal highs in the mid to upper 80s before extreme heat builds this weekend.
    • A heat dome settles in Sunday through next week, with highs in the upper 90s, heat indices above 100°, and overnight lows staying above 70°, raising health risks.
    • Stay safe during the heat wave by wearing light clothing, staying hydrated, checking on vulnerable people—and keeping pets off hot pavement.

WASHINGTON - Summer is expected to roll in with a fury as a heat dome begins to set over top of the D.C. region this weekend. 

What's next:

After a stormy end to a very humid setup over the last few days, the D.C. area will welcome summer on a much more manageable note thanks to a cold front bringing in much drier air. Temperatures will hover around the mid-to upper 80s on Friday with plenty of sunshine. 

The heat dome starts to be felt as we go through the weekend as we see temperatures jump back into the low 90s on Saturday and then jump even higher into the mid to upper 90s on Sunday. Humidity slowly increases over the weekend, making the heat indexes reach triple digits. 

A heat dome is expected to bring hot temperatures to the East Coast next week. 

Temperatures will say they are in the upper 90s, but once you are out in the soupy hot mess it will feel like we hit 100°. 

This will continue into the new work week when we end up sticking in the upper 90s from Monday through Wednesday. Dewpoints will be in the 60s, making it quite humid as well. 

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While the high temperatures will be the eye-catching part of the forecast, overnight temperatures will be the most dangerous part. Lows do not drop below 70° for most areas over the next six or seven days. 

7 day forecast shows temperatures in the 90s through next week. 

Why you should care:

The human body needs low temperatures to drop below 70° to help rid itself of the cumulative heat stress that builds up. This is a huge reason why heat deaths begin to occur at the end of the heat wave. It will be very important to keep cool during this timeframe and to check in on people that are highly susceptible to the heat, such as manual laborers, children, the elderly and those on medication that interferes with heat regulation.

Tips to stay cool are wear light colored and loose-fitting clothing, staying hydrated, using shade anytime you are outside, and avoiding over-consumption of alcohol.

Pets will also need to be closely monitored during this stretch of high heat. Cats and dogs have a much harder time regulating body temperature and have their paws exposed right to the hot pavement, making it harder to cool down as well.

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