On this date in 1991, D.C.’s most intense May heat wave was hitting its stride. After four-straight days with highs in the low 90s, the temperature soared to a calendar-day record of 97.
“All over the area, lawns withered and pedestrians loosened sweat-drenched shirts and headed for shade,” The Washington Post reported.
The heat, which forced many schools to dismiss students early, became even more intense on May 30.
“No one needed the weatherman to find out how sweltering it was yesterday, but for the record — and yes, it was a record — the temperature peaked at 98 degrees, making it the hottest day in May ever recorded in the Washington area,” The Post wrote on May 31.
Yet May 31 turned even hotter — soaring to a new monthly record of 99.
“Until yesterday, Washington had never recorded a 99-degree day in May, District schools had never closed early because of heat, and local utilities had never sold so much electricity during what is supposed to be a spring month,” The Post said on June 1.
Here are other notables from this day:
- Average high: 80
- Average low: 62
- Record high: 97 (1991)
- Record low: 41 (1894)
- Record rainfall: 1.38 inches (1990)
