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PHOTOS: DC region finding ways to keep cool during July heat wave

July 29, 2023, 5:07 PM

A sweltering summer day seems like an understatement as the D.C. area deals with the potential for record-setting temperatures, an already high heat, rain and thunderstorms.

While the National Weather Service and a bevy of meteorologists and local governments encourage everyone to avoid potential triple-digit heat through Saturday, people are still going to work, outdoor activities and indoor events around the District.

Take a look at how the region is — safely (we hope)— handling this hot and heavy heat wave.

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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: With the U.S. Capitol is seen in the background, people ride bicycles on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: A visitor cools herself off at the fountain of the World War II Memorial on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: Visitors cool themselves off at the fountain of the World War II Memorial on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: Visitors cool themselves off at the fountain of the World War II Memorial on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: With the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol are seen in the background, a woman jogs up the steps by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: With the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol are seen in the background, visitors pass by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
7/30
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 28: With the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol are seen in the background, tourists pass by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on July 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. Extreme heat is forecasted in the DC area through Saturday with a heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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People wade in the fountain at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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People wade in the fountain at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
10/30
People wade in the fountain at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Construction workers take a break in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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A street vendor sell refreshments in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Construction workers take a break in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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A street vendor sell refreshments in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: A journalist uses a shirt to block the sun as he records a videoin Lafayette Park on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: Tourists use an umbrella for shade as they walk along Pennsylvania Avenue on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: People eat ice cream on the Georgetown Waterfront on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: A family sits by a water fountain on the Georgetown Waterfront on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: Construction workers rest in the shade during maintenance work in Lafayette Park on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Street vendors sell drinks at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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People walk past vendors selling cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Vendors sell cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Vendors sell cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Vendors sell cold drinks near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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A construction worker moves materials as people sit and drink water along the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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A street vendor sells drinks at the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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People wade in the fountain at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2023, as temperatures are expected to reach record highs. A high heat index and possible record temperatures in the upper 90s (32C) have led to the posting of a Heat Advisory in the Washington area. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 27: A construction worker sprays water in his face during maintenance work along Pennsylvania Avenue on July 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Washington DC is under an excessive heat watch notice as a heat wave blankets the East Coast. According to media reports the month of July has broken the record for the warmest month ever with climate change experts fearing the summers in the future will only get warmer. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
DC-area thunderstorms 29/30
Rain and storms trickled into the D.C. area in front of WTOP’s headquarters. (WTOP/Tadi Abedje)
Shelf cloud 30/30
Shelf cloud captured during storms in D.C. on July 29, 2023 (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

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