Back in the saddle today after clearing 1,038 email messages that piled up while I was off. Heard tell of some stormy weather during my absence. And it looks like the storms and showers will stick around for a few more days before a cold front later this week finally clears the air.

In the meantime, we're headed for another high in the 80s Tuesday, making this a three-fer. The instruments at BWI-Marshall reached 85 degrees on Sunday and Monday. There were no records; the record highs are now almost all in the 90s. 

But this is the first time we've had three straight days at 80 or higher since last Sept. 23-25.  We're about 15 degrees above the daily averages for Baltimore in the end of April. Feels like summer out there.

We may see 80 degrees again on Wednesday as high pressure and sunshine continue to keep the atmosphere stoked. That will also continue the risk of showers and thunderstorms all the way into Thursday morning.

Increasing humidity on Wednesday will thicken the cloud cover, ahead of a cold front, forecasters say. The front may come with some locally heavy rains. High atmospheric moisture and ground saturated by the rains of the past couple of weeks could raise the risk of stream and creek flooding.

But despite the destructive weather this system has produced to our south and west, the risks of damaging storms in Central Maryland late Wednesday into Thursday are described by forecasters as "slight." But it's not all good news. Those storms that do form have the potential to produce damaging gusts and large hail, especially to our west.

High pressure moving in behind the front will produce a terrific Saturday, withy mostly sunny skies and highs near 70 degrees. Sunday looks nearly as good, but with more clouds and a risk of showers later in the day as the next cold front approaches.

(PHOTO: April 24 storm, from Elkridge, by James Willinghan. Used with permission.)