A surge of warm air from the South, pushing in ahead of a potentially dangerous cold front later today, has driven temperatures at BWI close to a new record this morning.

It was already 66 degrees at BWI at 7 a.m. Our weather station here at Calvert & Centre streets is reading 69 degrees. The record high for this date at BWI is 70 degrees, set back in 1938. With just another little surge of air from Dixie, we will set a new record for today's date.

We nearly set an overnight record, too. The low at 4 a.m. this morning at BWI was 45 degrees. That was just two degrees below the record high minimum temperature for this date - 47 degrees - set in 1991.

After that low was reached, the temperature at the airport jumped 15 degrees, to 60, in just an hour.

All bets are off this afternoon, when a cold front - the same one that has triggered a deadly rash of tornadoes across the South overnight - will cross our region. Forecasters at Sterling say the excitement will begin here after 3 p.m., as showers, thunderstorms, heavy rain and gusty winds mark the frontal passage. Isolated tornadoes are possible. Here's the radar loop.

We can expect up to a quarter-inch of rain, and more in some storm cells. The rain and storms will continue into the early evening, with another qaurter-inch of rain possible.

After the front passes by, we'll notice a wind shift from the southwest to the west, the air will begin to dry out and the skies will clear.

Tomorrow will be sunny and cooler, but daytime highs will still be near 50 degrees - well above the 43-degree norm for this time of year at BWI.

Another cold front will scoot by late on Friday, bringing a bit more rain and dropping our weekend temperatures to the below-normal range. The high on Sunday won't get much above freezing, and the overnight low Monday morning will sink into the teens in many locations.