On this date in 1988, the temperature soared to a calendar-day record 99 degrees. In Baltimore, it hit a record 102 for a second straight day. The record heat was followed by severe thunderstorms. Wind gusts in Montgomery County reached 60 mph, and 40,000 people lost power.
“Powerful thunderstorms swept across the Washington area last night after another day of record heat, toppling trees onto cars and houses in Montgomery County,” The Washington Post reported on its front page the next day. “Raking the area with high winds, the storm dumped more than three inches of rain on Rockville in less than 30 minutes and struck with particular force in the Bethesda area.”
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 90
- Average low: 73
- Record high: 99 (1988)
- Record low: 54 (1898)
- Record rainfall: 1.79 inches (1906)
