There's more sunshine out there today (Wednesday) than forecasters expected, and plenty of humidity. That's making it feel more like late summer than early autumn. Highs this afternoon and tomorrow could reach the low to mid-80s, about 8 degrees above the norms for this time of year in Baltimore. But time is running out.

Forecasters out at Sterling say this southerly flow of warm, humid air will be cut off by an approaching cold front , now over the Great Lakes, that's expected to cross the region late on Thursday. As that front gets close, it could bring us widely scattered showers later on Thursday. But it will also bring a wind shift that should begin to clear the air and dry us out for Friday and Saturday.

It should also cool us off. Friday will be sunny and pleasant, they say, with highs near seasonal norms, in the low 70s. Saturday will be even cooler, perhaps stalling out in the upper 60s under partly sunny skies. A breath of autumn.

The next round of rainy weather could show up as early as late Saturday and Sunday, clearing as the workweek begins.

Speaking of rain, I notice that the Drought Monitor map last week once again included some "abnormally dry" conditions in far western Maryland - about 13 percent of the state. It's the first time since mid-August that Maryland has shown up on the drought map.  

The dry patch is part of a larger expanse of scarce rainfall that includes southwestern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio.

(SUN PHOTO/Amy Davis 2004)