The highest temperature in May was 83 (9th, 31st), and no day in June was above 90 (it hit 90 on the 2nd, 20th, and 26th).
The big heat has been holding west of the Mississippi, and will likely be anchored there for the next couple of weeks.
For example: Houston, Texas had seven days in a row above 100 degrees in June. It was Houston’s second hottest June on record. The all-time record high for June in Houston was set on the 26th, when the temperature hit 104.
The illustration below shows the forecast wind pattern at the jet stream level for the middle of next week. The perspective is looking down on the North Pole. On the right are plotted several different computer simulations of the jet stream winds. The graphic on the leftshows the average of all of the simulations. 
The most telling part of these graphics is the bulge northward in the jet stream winds across the Great Plains and the front range of the Rocky Mountains. This suggests very warm air will continue to surge north from the equator, leaving each coast (with the dip southward in the jet) cooler than average as the cooler air moves southward from the North Pole.
This suggests the pattern we have been in since the middle of spring will likely continue into the middle of July. For Virginia, that means no true heat waves… in fact it will be very difficult for temperatures to spend more than one or two days in the low 90s for at least two weeks.
During the late afternoon heat, pop up thunderstorms can be a real headache but the danger that accompanies them can be more than a headache.
Lightning from thunderstorms strike hundreds of people every year. While it’s true a small percentage of lightning strike victims die, many more survivors are left with serious lifelong pain and neurological disabilities. If you can see lightning or hear thunder you are already at risk. Most lightning injuries and deaths occur when people are caught outdoors in the summer months during the afternoon and evening hours.
To avoid being struck by lightning, I suggest you follow these tips:
- Seek shelter indoors at the first sign of a thunderstorm.
- Use the 30 minute rule by staying indoors 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
- When the forecast calls for thunderstorms have an alternate plan for outdoor activities. Be prepared to move indoors quickly.
- Remember to stay away from isolated trees, utility poles, or towers.
- Don’t use corded telephones during thunderstorm activity.
- Avoid taking a bath or shower and don’t use electrical equipment during a storm.
Shane Butler
ABC 13 Chief Meteorologist
When your family is spending a day at the beach, you may notice this too. This wind is known as the "sea breeze", which occurs in response to differences in temperature between the water and land. Sea-breezes occur on warm sunny days when the land temperature is heated to a level much warmer than the water. Remember land heats quicker than water.
On an average day the ocean temperature will remain nearly constant and the land temperature will fluctuate. So with the land much warmer, the air begins to rise, allowing the relatively cooler air above the water to flow inward toward the shore. This breeze makes an otherwise unbearable day at the beach much more pleasant and enjoyable!
Matt Ferguson
ABC 13 Meteorologist
July
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