Washington, District of Columbia Weather
Day 93 of summer. Read today’s microseason across nine climate regions →
Washington weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 12:16 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast later22%—78°67°—
- TuesdaySep 22Heavy Rain86%0.67″69°58°-9°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle67%0.09″62°55°-7°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast18%—66°56°+4°
- FridaySep 25Overcast18%—72°52°+6°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast18%—74°55°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——75°62°+1°
Air quality now AQI 41 · Good
AQI 41 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.3 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.4 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.3 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.4 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.99
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:37 PM
- Moonset
- 1:30 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Washington at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 73°F (high 78°F, low 67°F), 5°F above the 68°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 29 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 4 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Washington
- Mon78°67°22%
- Tue69°58°86%
- Wed62°55°67%
- Thu66°56°18%
- Fri72°52°18%
- Sat74°55°18%
- Sun75°62°8%
- Mon78°58°5%
- Tue79°60°9%
- Wed85°63°17%
- Thu89°66°14%
- Fri84°68°14%
- Sat86°65°14%
- Sun84°71°27%
- Mon75°54°27%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Washington
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Washington — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 8) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Washington
SPC includes Washington in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Washington
Washington sits in District of Columbia County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 54m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 26m — a swing of +5h 28m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Washington is the state’s largest city.
Air quality in Washington
Air quality in Washington’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 44). See the full air-quality history for Washington.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Washington's warmest stretch (~78°F) and January its coldest (~32°F); precipitation crests in August at 4.2 inches and ebbs in October to 2.6 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 3.3″ |
| February | 35° | 2.8″ |
| March | 44° | 3.4″ |
| April | 55° | 3.7″ |
| May | 63° | 3.5″ |
| June | 72° | 3.9″ |
| July | 78° | 3.2″ |
| August | 77° | 4.2″ |
| September | 70° | 3.4″ |
| October | 59° | 2.6″ |
| November | 46° | 3.6″ |
| December | 37° | 3.9″ |
Regional context
In this section 3 notes on the wider region
Washington swings from 32°F in January to 78°F in July (46°F) per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo); precipitation in Washington runs about 41.5 inches.
Washington's precipitation spreads evenly across the seasons: August peaks at 4.2 inches, while October holds 2.6 inches — no season dominates Washington's rain calendar. It is a balanced pattern Washington shares with nearby cities at similar latitude.
Washington reaches its last hard frost near March 29; that is the cue for peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Washington's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Washington's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. By November 8, frost is back in Washington — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: Washington freezes sooner in half of years.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Washington?
- In Washington, expect the last spring frost near March 29; Washington's first autumn frost comes around November 8.
- What is the rainy season in Washington?
- Washington sees its heaviest rain in August (around 4.2 inches), part of roughly 42 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Washington?
- On average July tops the year in Washington at about 78°F.
- What is the coldest month in Washington?
- The coldest stretch in Washington falls in January, around 32°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Washington?
- Hardy spring crops go in near March 29 in Washington; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- What hardiness zone is Washington?
- Since January in Washington averages 32°F, Washington's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Washington?
- Washington's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Washington?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Washington in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Washington?
- Current conditions for Washington and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Washington forecast updated?
- The Washington forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Washington?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Washington are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Washington?
- The next few days in Washington's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Washington sits at 38.9°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Washington
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