Hot, humid air and lots of sunshine will set us up for more showers and thunderstorms late today. Forecasters out at the NWS Sterling forecast office  there's a 30 percent chance of storms this afternoon, rising to 50 percent tonight. Those chances climb to 60 percent on Thursday.

And so long as your power stays on, your kids are safe, your basement remains dry and no tree falls on your house, that's fine. These storms can be dramatic and quite beautiful. Yesterday's tumult brought out several intrepid photographers who snapped some great shots of the wild clouds and rain that accompanied the late-afternoon storm. (See yesterday's post.) The one above was shot in Hunt Valley by Art Huffman. We use it with his permission.

The Hazardous Weather Outlook issued by the NWS this morning says scattered showers and thunderstorms today "may become severe this afternoon, with the potential for large hail and damaging wind gusts. The best chances of severe weather will be across the western suburbs of Washington D.C. and the city of Baltimore."

That said, those chances today are less than they were yesterday, and less than they will be tomorrow if the forecast holds up.

The main actor here is a stalled frontal system draped from east to west across the region near the Mason Dixon Line. That leaves our air hot and humid, primed for convection to develop and build thunderstorms, which would drift from the high terrain eastward across our region.

A wave of low pressure is forecast to move along the front and across the area tonight, setting off another round of showers and storms with locally heavy rain. Expect more of the same Thursday with a 60 percent chance of storms from after 2 p.m. into the evening.

On Friday, the cold front will finally cross the region, touching off more showers and storms. The frontal passage will only clear things out for a day, with mostly sunny skies Saturday and highs around 83. Our chances for showers and thunderstorms return to 30 percent Sunday evening and Monday.

Had enough yet? I've posted more shots from Tuesday's storm in the extension below.