As the fog burns off and this morning's sunshine breaks through, it's tempting to expect a sunny day, all day. But forecasters out at Sterling say the solar heating and cold air aloft could set off some thunderstorms this afternoon and into this evening. Small hail and gusty winds could be part of the mix.

Showers - at least chances for showers- also remain in the forecast into Wednesday. But once these disturbances push through, we're set to break into some clear air and southwest winds that may push daytime highs into the 80s at BWI for the first time this year.

Curiously, there is mention of snow showers on the western slopes of the Alleghenies tomorrow and again Thursday morning.

The unsettled weather today and tomorrow is the result of a low-pressure system spinning over the Great Lakes, drawing cool air and precipitation south and east into our region as the atmosphere spins counter-clockwise around the low. As solar heating triggers convection from the surface, the warm air rises into the colder air aloft, setting off convection and the potential for thunderstorms.

The chances for precipitation are set at 40 percent today and 60 percent tonight, dropping to 30 percent tomorrow.

Today's thunderstorms could produce pea-sized hail, with penny-sized stones possible in some spots. The risk continues into the early evening. And, say the forecasters, "A few showers along favored slopes of the highlands overnight ... may mix with snow showers as colder air oozes into the [forecast area]."

Snow showers? What is this? Colorado? Actually, as the polar jet stream continues to dig deep into the Eastern U.S. there is a second mention of snow showers on the western slopes for Wednesday night into Thursday before the precipitation issues dry up for the weekend.

High pressure returns to the region Thursday, bringing mostly sunny skies through the weekend. The forecast high for BWI on Saturday is 82 degrees, with 80 degrees expected Sunday. The last time we saw 80 degrees at the airport was on Oct. 16.

Whatever your plans, remember your sun block and hats. And lets get some hats on those babies, people. There was an awful lot of bad-looking red skin in the locker room Monday morning. Saturday's high of 76 degrees drew a lot of pasty-looking people out into the sunshine. The instinct is understandable, but skin cancer is no joke. And we're just 60 days from the strongest sun of the year.