MD Faces Triple-Digit Heat, Air Quality Alert

MARYLAND — Maryland tied a heat record on Sunday. Another round of steamy temperatures leaves the state under heat and air quality warnings early this week.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport tied its July 14 record high of 101 degrees on Sunday, the National Weather Service said. A record high temperature of 101 degrees was set at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, breaking the old record of 100. The record high of 98 degrees was tied at Washington Dulles International Airport.

This heat wave will linger for a few more days.

The real-feel heat index could hover around 110 degrees until Wednesday, drawing an excessive heat warning Monday and an excessive heat watch Tuesday. The air quality may become unhealthy for sensitive groups, prompting a code orange air quality alert on Monday.

Thunderstorms are possible daily through Wednesday, and there's a chance of showers on Thursday.

There is some relief in sight. Thursday's high is 90 degrees. The weekend should be in the upper 80s.

Accuweather reported that the jet stream could dip and sweep cooler and less humid air to the East Coast later this week. This could spark "at the very least, heavy, gusty and locally severe thunderstorms." The cold front may not hit the Mid-Atlantic with full force, but residents have their fingers crossed for cooler days.

"There is the potential for the cool push to stall out near the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts later [in the new] week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Reneé Duff said.

Monday's forecasted high of 101 degrees is 1 degree short of the July 15 record temperature at BWI Airport. Tuesday's expected high of 102 is 2 degrees under the July 16 record.

The excessive heat warning lasts from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday. The excessive heat watch runs from Tuesday morning to Tuesday evening. The alerts cover portions of central, northern and southern Maryland.

The code orange air quality alert from the Maryland Department of the Environment covers:

• All of Cecil County
• Southern Harford County
• Southern Baltimore County
• All of Baltimore City
• Eastern Howard County
• All of Anne Arundel County
• All of Prince George's County
• Eastern Montgomery County
• All of the Eastern Shore

The rest of the state is in a less severe code yellow for moderate air quality.

Here is the seven-day forecast for BWI Airport from the National Weather Service:

Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Heat index values as high as 111. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 111. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 78. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2pm and 5pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 5pm. Partly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11pm and 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 88.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 89.