July Discobs 2026

[AnEndlessMaze]

1 hour ago, dailylurker said:

Wait.... i thought we were going to have low dews for this heatwave. Dewpoint here is close to 80 lol. Yay! Smoky, hot, dry, super humid. I can't understand how anyone can love summer. Give me a 4:47 sunset and a -10 wind chill over this bs any day. And snow!! Feet of snow!

July has basically become unlivable in this region now lol

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

13 minutes ago, AnEndlessMaze said:

July has basically become unlivable in this region now lol

Yeah the smoke puts it over the top,

Just sweating and breathing terrible air 

[arlwx12]

At least the DC area air quality is not that of Detroit...

Detroit registers worst air quality in the world among major cities as wildfire smoke blankets Michigan

DETROIT, Mich. (News 10) - Heavy wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota continues to settle into Lower Michigan, causing Detroit to have the worst air quality in the world among major cities Thursday morning. Detroit’s air quality index (AQI) was rated at 684 as of 3:30 a.m. Thursday, according to IQ Air which tracks air quality ratings across the world.

Air quality is ranked in these categories:

0-50 = Good, 51-100 = Moderate, 101-150 = Unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 = Unhealthy, 201-300 Very unhealthy, 301+ = Hazardous

(snip)

 

[arlwx12]

Dulles still in the running for warm low for date.

BWI just missed.

[mappy]

93 yesterday. hazy sun this morning 

[arlwx12]

Haze showing up at DCA.

Current DC air quality listed as 62 (moderate).

NWS forecasts air quality to worsen today...

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAY JULY 16 2026...

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and District
Department of Environment has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality
Alert Thursday for
the District of Columbia.

A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution
concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for
sensitive groups.

(snip)

[SolidIcewx]

6 minutes ago, arlwx12 said:

At least the DC area air quality is not that of Detroit...

Detroit registers worst air quality in the world among major cities as wildfire smoke blankets Michigan

DETROIT, Mich. (News 10) - Heavy wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota continues to settle into Lower Michigan, causing Detroit to have the worst air quality in the world among major cities Thursday morning. Detroit’s air quality index (AQI) was rated at 684 as of 3:30 a.m. Thursday, according to IQ Air which tracks air quality ratings across the world.

Air quality is ranked in these categories:

0-50 = Good, 51-100 = Moderate, 101-150 = Unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 = Unhealthy, 201-300 Very unhealthy, 301+ = Hazardous

(snip)

 

Thats where im from before coming out this way. It is really bad up there. Got family and friends messaging me on how breathing is making their throats scratchy even after 5 mins outside. Really insane and worse than 2023.

[RickinBaltimore]

I swear you could smell the smoke this morning. And my eyes were stinging coming into work. Going to be such a fun day 

[AlexD1990]

sky is a milky grayish orange, and the smell of smoke is notable. 

[87storms]

On 7/14/2026 at 9:43 PM, pazzo83 said:

i was about to say - folks who grew up here, do any of you remember this from the 80s/90s?  I certainly do not EVER remember dealing with wildfire smoke.

Never lol, though there were a few more hazy days in the summer. Not sure I buy the improved pollution thing too much. There seems to be less of a vibrant blue sky than when I grew up, though my eyesight is not a strength of mine and there could be other reasons for it (more air traffic, cloud seeding, whatever).

[MN Transplant]

1 hour ago, arlwx12 said:

Dulles still in the running for warm low for date.

BWI just missed.

To be clear, IAD has never recorded an 80+ low for any day.  The morning low was 81.  The question is whether it falls below 80 by the end of the day.  It did drop down to 79 last evening when the winds went calm, and then rose again before midnight.

[George BM]

2 hours ago, MN Transplant said:

We might finally break the all-time warm low record at Dulles.  Doesn’t look like they’ve broken below 80.

Yeah only down to 81F on the day so far. If no rogue storm pops up later we could at least tie the all-time or have the first 80+ daily low there. (You, of course, know this. I just like talking sometimes. )

ETA: LOL! I should've read the post above before commenting. I was still on the last page. 

[BlizzardNole]

85/73 with no wind at all and the air is getting smoky.  I feel bad for the guys building my neighbor's new deck out in this

[stormy]

I recorded a refreshing 62 at 6:45.

[IronTy]

Rode my motorcycle to/from the gym this morning.  Definitely a hazy, orange sunrise.  But I couldn't smell any smoke or anything, even on my bike, so it didn't really bother me.  

[yoda]

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
955 AM EDT Thu Jul 16 2026

DCZ001-MDZ008-011-013-014-016-504-506-508-VAZ053-054-527-170000-
/O.NEW.KLWX.HT.Y.0010.260716T1500Z-260717T0000Z/
District of Columbia-Cecil-Southern Baltimore-Prince Georges-Anne
Arundel-Charles-Central and Southeast Montgomery-Central and
Southeast Howard-Southeast Harford-Fairfax-Arlington/Falls
Church/Alexandria-Central and Southeast Prince
William/Manassas/Manassas Park-
955 AM EDT Thu Jul 16 2026

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values around 105.

* WHERE...Washington DC, and portions of central, northeast,
  northern, and southern Maryland, and northern Virginia.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat
  illnesses.

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

AQI up near 1000 around Duluth 

[BlizzardNole]

8 minutes ago, SomeguyfromTakomaPark said:

AQI up near 1000 around Duluth 

That's insane.  I've been wondering how many houses in the upper mid-west don't have AC and can't hide in filtered air like most of us.  Some places in upper MI were near 1200 at times and I bet less than half of homes have AC up there.

I don't smell smoke yet, but the air is getting that hazy look

[GramaxRefugee]

16 minutes ago, SomeguyfromTakomaPark said:

AQI up near 1000 around Duluth 

Over 1400 at Hibbing MN, according to this post on our Lakes regional:

https://www.americanwx.com/bb/topic/62756-july-2026-general-discussion/?do=findComment&comment=8112695

 

[kgottwald]

2 hours ago, 87storms said:

Never lol, though there were a few more hazy days in the summer. Not sure I buy the improved pollution thing too much. There seems to be less of a vibrant blue sky than when I grew up, though my eyesight is not a strength of mine and there could be other reasons for it (more air traffic, cloud seeding, whatever).

The first time I remember smoke hitting the DC area was March 31, 1999. The fire was in the Shenandoah Valley. 

The date stuck in my mind because Activision's *Civilization: Call to Power* released on that date. I made a special trip to Gamestop to pick it up, and wondered about the weird smell in the air and the funny-colored sky.