Looking for relief from the heat? Find a pool like Marisa Murphy did last year (left). Or, turn the thermostat on your AC down. There's no relief for Central Maryland anywhere in the seven-day forecast from Sterling.

High temperatures have camped out in the 90s for the entire period, with heat index readings topped 100 for the next few days. Here at The Sun, our instruments are already showing temps at 91 degrees, a dew point of 71 degrees (anything above 70 feels sticky), and a heat index of 98 degrees. This sort of hot spell is not terribly unusual for Maryland at this time of year, but is several degrees above the seasonal norms. Record highs are in the low 100s.

Saturday looks like the hottest day of the bunch, with a forecast high for BWI of 96 degrees. "Residents should stay well hydrated and take frequent breaks from the heat in air-conditioned building," forecasters urged in today's Hazardous Weather Outlook.

Humidity numbers, which have been fairly low in recent days under this big high-pressure system, are pushing higher. The high is moving off to our east, out into the western Atlantic. That puts us on the backside of the clockwise flow around the high, drawing warm, humid air up from the South.

The solar heating and the rising humidity will begin to touch off showers and thunderstorms in our region by Sunday, forecasters say. And the chances will persist into next week. The forecast gets more iffy after that. There's a cool front that could dip down, stall here by Wednesday, and continue the showers and thunderstorms.

If you can afford the gas, there is relief downy ayshun. Ocean City's forecast calls for sunny skies and highs in the 80s. It's been a great week at the beach, with a great weekend ahead if you can dodge any showers that pop up.