Weekend forecast for Takoma Park and the rest of the DMV

Stay safe, celebrate responsibly, and enjoy a wonderful July 4th weekend with family and friends!

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has officially instantiated Severe Thunderstorm Watch establishing a monitoring window effective immediately and terminating precisely at 22:00 EDT (10:00 PM) this evening, Saturday, July 4, 2026.

Geographic Scope

Saturday

• The District of Columbia: Complete multi-quadrant coverage.

State of Maryland (16 Jurisdictions)

• Central Maryland: Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.
• North Central Maryland: Carroll, Frederick, and Washington counties.
• Northeast Maryland: Cecil County.
• Northern Maryland: Baltimore County, Harford County, and the independent city jurisdiction of Baltimore City.
• Southern Maryland: Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties.
• Western Maryland: Allegany and Garrett counties.

Commonwealth of Virginia (34 Jurisdictions)

• Central Virginia: Albemarle, Greene, King George, Nelson, Orange, and Spotsylvania counties, alongside the independent cities of Charlottesville and Fredericksburg.
• Northern Virginia: Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford counties, balanced by the independent cities of Alexandria, Arlington (county-city equivalent), Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
• Northwest Virginia: Clarke, Frederick, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren counties, in addition to the independent city of Winchester.

Sunday

1. Thermal Envelope & Heat Index Metrics

• Peak Ambient Temperature: Upper 90s, peaking at exactly 96°F (35.6°C).
• Maximum Apparent Temperature: Heat index values will reach up to 105°F (40.6°C).
• Atmospheric Forcing: High surface dew points combined with intense solar radiation.
• Regulatory Actions: Active Extreme Heat Warnings with extended, non-expiring durations. 

2. Convective Instability & Thunderstorm Dynamics

• Diurnal Timing Window: Scattered cell development initiated mid-afternoon, persisting through late evening.
• Primary Kinetic Threat: Severe, localized damaging wind gusts capable of structural impacts.
• Hydrological Hazard: Extreme precipitation rates leading to sudden heavy downpours and urban drainage failures.
• Sky Cover Profile: Mesoscale tracking indicates a strictly partly cloudy profile ahead of storm fronts.

3. Nocturnal Boundary Layer Forecast

• Ambient Thermal Floor: Minimum overnight cooling thresholds limited to the lower 70s°F (21-23°C).
• Moisture Retainment: Ceiling shifts to mostly cloudy with locked-in, high-percentage relative humidity.
• Residual Activity: Sustained convective energy will support lingering, sub-severe thunderstorms post-midnight.

There you have it! For more details, check out our weekly events outlook.

More News from Takoma Park

• After the Sun Retires: Hyper-Local DMV Escapes No parades and fireworks—beat the heat when the sun is down with chilled cinema, evening jazz, and breezy gazebo and late-night monument strolls.
• The Flip Side: The Other Fourth Fourth of July also happens at a drunk Shakespeare show, an Afro-Wine fest, a DIY punk house show, and a rooftop punk series—because everything sounds better with a beat.