Looks like we've pushed past the record-breaking 100-degree weather of the past few days. But how bad is it when highs in the 90s begin to look pretty cool? And Saturday's forecast high of 88 degrees seems downright chilly?

If we do hold in the 80s on Saturday, it may well prove to be an isolated event. Forecasters out at Sterling are predicting highs in the low 90s at BWI through Wednesday of next week. That's when another cold front could arrive with a chance for a little more cooling and some badly needed showers.

In the meantime, we're stuck with half a loaf. Highs today at the airport should stop rising when the reach the lower 90s.

The air is a little cleaner over Baltimore today (Thursday). The Code Orange Air Quality Alert is in effect for Washington, D.C., Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's counties. But the Baltimore region is not included. Code Orange means the air is unhealthy for those in sensitive groups.

The bad news is that Baltimore and the southern portion of Baltimore County remain under a Heat Advisory today from noon until 9 p.m. Because of the rising humidity, Heat Index numbers will be between 100 and 105 degrees. 

The added moisture in the air - in addition to keeping the heat index numbers up, expanding the sweat stains on our shirts and keeping us miserable despite lower temperatures - is increasing the cloud cover and offering a slightly better chance for some showers.

Those chances get even better - 50 percent - late on Friday and early Saturday as a weak cold front arrives from the west. That's what will give us highs only in the upper 80s on Saturday, too.

But almost immediately - Sunday - things will heat up again into the 90s, and continue that way well into next week.