They say Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. Well, in this case it marks the official start of summerlike weather. The holiday-shortened work week ahead looks a whole lot like last week - very sunny and pleasant - but this time about 10 degrees hotter.

The official forecast calls for daytime highs in the mid- to upper-80s all week, with mostly sunny skies. That's about normal - for July. The first clear mention of showers is for Sunday. We can thank yet another high-pressure system, now centered just off the coast.  The jet stream, and all the storm systems, are moving up along the western edge of the high and into Canada, keeping us high and dry. The only risk of an unexpected shower probably lies with isolated convection - thunderstorms - that could pop up over the mountains, or across central Virginia. 

Of course, we could sure use some serious rain. Lawns out there are starting to look August-brown. At this point we stand a good chance of ending May with less than an inch of rain at BWI. The long-term average for May is 3.89 inches.

And as hot as it may get later this week - near 90 degrees by late in the work week - we may see some cooler temperatures close to the western shore of the Chesapeake thanks to a developing bay breeze: Hot air rising off the land will draw water-cooled air off the bay to replace it. Annapolis would be a good place to be by week's end.

The same high that's bringing us this nice weather is also bringing stiff winds ashore to our south, causing serious rip currents and numerous rescues on the beaches in Florida.  Here's more on rip currents and the dangers they pose for swimmers. Rip current risks are low for now at Maryland beaches. The photo shows a crowded Delaware beach with numerous rip currents (arrows).