On this date in 1988, D.C. tied its record low for the calendar day at 54 degrees. It remains the only record low for any day in July set since the 1980s — and one of just four July record lows set since the 1930s. That scarcity is a reflection of human-caused climate warming.
D.C. joined dozens of other cities that set record lows, including Roanoke (48 degrees); Wilmington, Delaware (48 degrees); Providence (48 degrees); and Boston (50 degrees). Mount Washington in New Hampshire received 5 inches of snow.
The chilly morning came amid an otherwise scorching summer that ranked as the 21st-hottest on record in D.C.
And on this date in 2021, two tornadoes touched down between Arlington and D.C. The Cherrydale neighborhood of Arlington, where the National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado struck on the 0-to-5 Enhanced Fujita scale for intensity, was hardest hit. The twister toppled trees and powerlines and removed the siding from some homes. The same tornado damaged trees on the National Mall before a second tornado touched down in D.C.’s H Street corridor resulting in intermittent tree damage.
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 89
- Average low: 71
- Record high: 102 (1901)
- Record low: 54 (1988)
- Record rainfall: 2.05 inches (1884)
