Air quality deteriorates despite pleasant temperatures.
Air quality worsened in the D.C. area on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke, with Code Orange air quality in D.C. and Code Red air quality in Baltimore. Despite the smoky haze, temperatures remained pleasant with highs near or slightly above 80 degrees and low humidity. A few isolated showers are possible, but the region remains dry with a rainfall deficit of 6.55 inches below average. Dry lightning threatens the northeast, and breezy/gusty winds and dry conditions could lead to critical fire-weather conditions across portions of the Mid-Atlantic.