Heat kink at West Hyattsville (WMATA)

If friends and family ask just how hot it was in D.C. in the past week, point to the following transit-related examples that exemplify just how infernal the weather was:

>> On Friday, two consecutive days of scorching temperatures warped a section of track along Metro’s Green Line, causing an after derailment that mucked up rush hour commuting. There’s even a term for this: “heat kink.”

>> Also on Friday, a U.S. Airways flight was delayed after its wheels partially sank into the tarmac at Reagan Washington National Airport, reported the Post. The 35 passengers bound for Charleston, S.C. (where it was cooler than D.C.) had to get off of the plane before it could be towed out of the “soft spot” it had sunk in to.

>> Yesterday a portion of U.S. Route 50 by Bowie “buckled” due to the heat, WTOP reports. The buckling is described as “a large crack across the eastbound side of the highway,” which depending on its depth could take a few days to repair.