The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority sent around word this morning that too many people, especially in Southeast, have been opening up fire hydrants during the heat wave over the past few days, and water pressure in some areas is now very low as a result. The agency says they'd really, really like it if you would stop opening up those hydrants and playing in the resulting spraying water.The public is reminded that unauthorized use......

Looking for a way to beat the heat this evening or tomorrow? The District Department of Parks and Recreation has opened up ten outdoor swimming pools and four spray parks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. both today and Tuesday. Outdoor pools open Monday and Tuesday: Banneker, 2500 Georgia Avenue NW, (202) 673-2121 (2 pools)Barry Farm, 1223 Sumner Road SE, (202) 645-5040Francis, 2500 N Street NW, (202) 727-3285Harry Thomas Sr., 1801 Lincoln Road NE, (202)......

It's hot, and it's going to get much, much hotter over the weekend. Hot enough that the District Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency opened its cooling centers for the first time this year today, from noon until 6 p.m. An Alert DC message sent around earlier points those needing a place to cool off to these locations: The Reeves Building at 2000 14th St. NWJudiciary Square at 441 4th St. NWThe King Building at......

Check out these photos taken at 5:30 p.m. at the East Falls Church Metro station, where downed power lines have shut down Orange line travel in both directions. Metro has finally issued a full press release on what's happening down there. Based on these images, if you're heading out on the Orange line, our best advice would be to stay in the city tonight until much, much later, if not crash on a friend's couch.......

Deluge '08? Orange line trains are terminating at East Falls Church after power lines fell on both tracks between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church stations at about 3:30 p.m., WTOP is reporting. Metro will provide a free shuttle bus in both directions. Power is also out at the Georgia Ave./Petworth Metro station, though Green and Yellow line trains continue to run and the station is still open. There's no indication yet......

Haven't had enough of the severe weather we've been experiencing over the last several days? The National Weather Service says more of it is already upon us. A severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch have both been issued until 8 p.m. A line of storms are now approaching western Frederick, Loudoun and Fauquier counties, and will move through the metro area over the next few hours. From the Capital Weather Gang: The Storm Prediction......

AP Photo/Steve Helber By some miracle, so far no fatalities have been reported in the wake of three tornadoes and other violent storm activity in southeastern Virginia, with the worst of the damage having happened in Suffolk, Va., just under 200 miles from Washington. Dozens of photos of the destruction of homes and businesses are being posted online. The Suffolk News-Harold has a photo gallery up, and photos on Flickr tagged with suffolk offer plenty......

It's not time to bring out Davy DCist in a boat, but the National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood advisory for D.C., Prince George's, southern Maryland, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, and few other Virginia counties. The advisory, which is in effect until 11 a.m. Tuesday, says tides will be one to two feet higher due to the phase of the moon and onshore winds, which may cause minor coastal flooding around high tide, especially......

Anyone else notice the DCist weather bug just clicked over to 70 degrees? Why it feels just like spring out there, everybody. If you can think up an excuse to pop outside, we recommend it highly. Soak it up, too, because the forecast isn't completely awesome for the rest of the week. Capital Weather Gang says an approaching cold front will pass through the area this evening, causing clouds to increase overnight and bringing in......

A heavy rain and high wind advisory has been issued from 1 p.m. today until 4 p.m. tomorrow afternoon for the metro region. No snow is expected in D.C., but we'll have plenty of rain and the potential for more flooding. Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid 40s tonight and up to 53 degrees tomorrow during the day, and then dip to a low of 27 degrees late Saturday night into Sunday morning.......

It's by no means pleasant outside today, but yesterday's fears of a thick coating of ice in the District haven't come to pass. Still, Davy DCist sent us this totally obnoxious postcard just to rub today's winter storm in our faces. The nerve of that guy. So here's the deal now: most of the suburban school districts are closed, and there was indeed a 15-car pileup on I-270 in Montgomery County, but warmer temperatures......

If you didn't have enough fun with slipping and falling on the ice last week, the National Weather Service has exciting news for you: another winter storm warning has been issued from 10 p.m. tonight through 10 p.m. Friday. Normally we don't like to leave all-caps in blockquotes, but given the apparent need for D.C.-style winter weather panic, capital letters seem somehow appropriate. A STORM MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL BRING PRECIPITATION INTO......

Forget Valentine's Day. Tomorrow is when the real romantic night of the month arrives — when three celestial bodies align in a display of astronomical brilliance, easily viewed from two deck chairs in the privacy of your own backyard. Wednesday night at 8:43 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the lunar eclipse will begin as the moon travels into Earth's shadow, reaching totality (the moment it is fully in shadow) at 10:01 p.m. Totality lasts for......

When yesterday's ice storm was just getting underway, I posted a rather pathetic admission that I had fallen down on the ice outside of DCist HQ. Since then, many of you have added your icy sidewalk tales of woe to the comments, some with far worse results than mine. But if this FOX News report is any indication, my slip and fall truly pales in comparison to that of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates,......

So, yeah. I totally just bit it on the brick sidewalk in front of DCist HQ, which had been coated with an invisible layer of slick ice since I left a few hours ago. I was even wearing all-weather boots! Sadly, my fall was more of the forward onto one knee and then over to one side variety, rather than the more classic comedy-style feet flying up and landing squarely on your bottom. Sigh.......

Mayor Adrian Fenty will adopt a different approach to removing snow from District streets after a winter storm - one that places a bigger emphasis on residential streets instead of putting them on the back burner until the main roads have been plowed. The Washington Post's copy editors get a gold star for dubbing this plan "No Street Left Behind". The basic idea behind Fenty's new snow removal plan is to send out two teams......

The National Weather Service had issued a Winter Weather Advisory between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today because of some light snow and freezing rain in the forecast, but it has now canceled that advisory. Apparently rising temperatures (it's now 36 degrees in the center of the city) mean any more precipitation today will just be plain old rain. Some commenters over at Capital Weather Gang were reporting more of a wintry mix about an......

We haven't had much snow so far this winter, so we thought it was high time to trot out everyone's favorite MS Paint stick figure, Davy DCist. The snowy view from DCist HQ is below -- it's finally starting to stick. You can check live traffic cam shots to see if the snow is sticking where you are over here. Look for the snow to change to a mix of sleet and rain after......

Parts of the District were treated to a very brief snow flurry around noon today, but it disappeared as fast as it started, leaving area snow lovers aroused, yet unsatisfied. But wait! The newly renamed Capital Weather Gang says there's another chance for snow, if also a little slim, on Thursday. Here's the deal: A storm will come up the coast Thursday. Enough cold air will be in place when the precipitation first arrives......

Temperatures are expected to remain well below freezing again overnight, which can mean danger for the District's homeless population. The city has put out a reminder to call their Hypothermia Shelter Hotline should you spot anyone trying to sleep outside when it's this cold. By calling 1-800-535-7252, the Shelter Hotline can provide transportation to emergency shelters and distribute items such as blankets, gloves and jackets. If you live outside the District, Express has compiled a......

>> In case you hadn't noticed, it's starting to get pretty chilly out there. [Capital Weather] >> The D.C. attorney who wrote the 15,000-word gun ban brief was fired, just as the city prepares to defend its position to the U.S. Supreme Court. [NBC4] >> Examiner gets sassy on Seattle fans leading up to this weekend's playoff game. >> After the final 2007 crime count, Chief Lanier looks ahead to 2008. [Examiner] >> Viridian......

Our Pilgrim cousins to the north have been having all the wintry fun of late. While we sit here in the mid-Atlantic frantically wondering if we'll get snow instead of an annoying, ice-cold spritz, Boston gets about eight inches of commute-snarling precip. Why do they get all the snow AND all the good sports teams? This weekend is our next chance at a winter coating, but again, we sit on the line of pure snow......

>> A winter weather advisory is in effect in parts of the area as freezing rain and sleet are expected to move in Thursday morning. [NBC4] >> A boy under the age of 10 was hit by a dump truck just after 4 p.m. at the intersection of 13th Street and Potomac Avenue SE. [WJLA] >> Um, so, forget about that Ron Paul blimp ever actually getting here, we guess. [Wonkette] >> "a multitude......

Are you ready, D.C.?! That's right: it's the first snowfall of the season. We talked about it yesterday, and the outlook remains pretty much the same. Both Capital Weather and our local TV weatherpeople agree that we'll get about an inch of unusually fluffy snow, with most of it falling by early afternoon. City Starts Looking For More Theft: Watch out, D.C. government ne'er-do-wells: Dan Tangherlini is on your trail. NBC4 reports that the......

If you don't have your milk, toilet paper and candles, Washington, you are so screwed. Why? 'Cause it's (probably) gonna snow. The local weather prediction deities at CapitalWeather are calling for a 70 percent chance of snow in the area Wednesday, with a 50-50 chance that we'll get more than an inch of snow. And as we all know, just like a child can drown in three inches of water, Washington can work itself into......

Good morning, Washington. Not that you could have missed the fact that it's awfully windy this morning after yesterday's late fall rainstorm, but the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the metro area, effective through 1 a.m. Tuesday morning — this wind will consistently be 25-30 mph until late tonight, with gusts over 46 mph expected. If you drive an SUV or another type of high profile vehicle, you're asked to use......

Tomorrow we'll be greeted with the strange dissonance of 73 degree weather and a sunset at ten to five. Confusing as it is, the tilt of the Earth will finally win out, and winter will arrive sooner or later. But if you ask CapitalWeather.com, it won't be any great shakes. Bad news for us snow lovers and school kids, but great news for southern transplants and bad drivers. According to CapitalWeather's famed Winter Outlook, posted......

>> The D.C. Fire Department and WASA have finally agreed to play nice and share their toys and fix the city's terrible fire hydrant mess. We promise to provide the warm cookies and cold milk should they succeed. [WaPo] >> The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch to remain in effect through Saturday morning for much of the D.C. area. [NBC4] >> The sidewalk of 7th St. NW in front of the......

It's been a long time since the region had any inclement weather to speak of, and even longer since we've checked in with our favorite maniac online weather man, Jim Kosek of Accuweather.com. As always, Jim is here for us in the midst of the storm with reassuring technical terms like "gajillion" and plenty of needless shouting. Enjoy!......

>> Ocean City: Making it harder to score hookers on your beach weekend since 2007. [WTOP] >> Metro is going to start distributing free bottles of hand sanitizer in stations beginning next week, in an effort to prevent the spread of flu germs. Except only 2,000 riders at each station will get them, on a first come, first served basis. We'd like to suggest they distribute them based on filthiness. You should have to......