But don't expect things to cool off this week. The forecast calls for highs in the 80s today. But the rest of the week will bump up into the 90s again, at least through Thursday.

But the statistics are with us. We're well past the summer solstice and have rounded the bend that leads inexorably to winter. The sun angle is declining and the days are growing shorter. That means the average daily high temperatures (and the overnight lows, too) have begun to decline.

The records show that average daily highs slide from 87 degrees at the start of the month, to 82 by the end. The overnight lows sink from an average 66 degrees to 61.

That's not to say it can't still get very hot. It can. August 2002 saw 17 days with highs in the 90s. The record high temperatures at BWI for much of the month remain in the upper 90s and over 100 degrees. In fact, the record high for August at the airport is 105 degrees, reached on Aug. 6 and 7, 1918, and again on Aug. 20, 1983.

It can also cool off dramatically, usually with a cool front bearing fresh, crisp air from Canada. The record low for the month at BWI is 45 degrees, set on Aug. 30, 1986.

July, by the way, ended up the 5th-wettest on record in Baltimore. The instruments at Baltimore-Washington International Airport recorded 8.77 inches of rainfall. That was 4.92 inches above the 30-year norm for the month. Two of the six wettest Julys on record here have been in this year and last.

July 2005 was also a bit warmer than average, at 77.9 degrees.
Here's how the rainfall records stack up:

YEAR RAIN

1889: 11.03 inches
1905: 10.65
1945: 9.68
1884: 9.43
2005: 8.77
2004: 8.69