Dates To Watch In Farmer's Almanac Summer Forecast For VA, DC

It may have been a day or two off, but the Farmer's Almanac's weather predictions for mid-May was almost right on the mark – "very unsettled; numerous showers, thunderstorms," warned the forecast that was made a month ago.

Let's hope the accuracy continues. The latest long-range forecast from the magazine has long stretches of pleasant weather in Virginia and Maryland after an unsettled remainder of May, though it does warn of storms.

Dates to watch out for include June 4 to 7 when it's going to storm, and the downpours will return around the 20th. The first few days of July will be "oppressively hot," it predicts. July 4 will be a stormy holiday after several days of heat.

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The Farmers' Almanac has been publishing long-range forecasts since 1818, based on what it calls a "top secret mathematical and astronomical formula that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position and many other factors."

Here's a more detailed look at the Farmer's Almanac forecast for the Mid-Atlantic:

May

20th-23rd: Fair weather.
24th-27th: Thunderstorms quickly sweep through the region.
28th-31st: Scattered thunderstorms, especially across the Mid-Atlantic region.

June

1st-3rd: Sultry weather.
4th-7th: Big thunderstorms pop up from the Gulf Coast to Carolinas north to Mid-Atlantic.
8th-11th: Mostly fair, dry
12th-15th: Scattered thunderstorms, then turning fair.
16th-19th: Hot, steamy.
20th-23rd: Showery rains, then clearing skies.
24th-27th: Scattered thunderstorms.
28th-30th: Fair/hot, oppressively humid.

July

1st-3rd: Oppressive heat and humidity.
4th-7th: Thunderstorms, then clearing.
8th-11th: Showery rain for much of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, then clearing. Showers may cause a delay or postponement of the MLB All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington DC.
12th-15th: Hot, humid.
16th-19th: Scattered showers, thunderstorms; heavy-to-severe thunderstorms for Mid-Atlantic States.

The National Weather Service and the Weather Channel said in their long-range forecasts for May that Virginia and The District should continue to be chillier than normal. But by June, expect things to warm up as normal. In June normal and even above average temperatures at that time, according to the Weather Channel's predictions.

The Weather Service says that May should bring above-normal temperatures and precipitation overall, which came true last week.

The three-month outlook forecast by the Weather Channel predicts early summer will be like last year, when temperatures were "fairly tame," running near or slightly above average.

Story includes reporting by Adam Nichols of Patch

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