There is simply no better July weather available for Baltimore than the weather we're getting today. The forecast high is just 85 degrees, a couple of degrees below the long-term average for this time of year and the coolest day since June 27. Low humidity, a nice breeze ... so why am I stuck here looking OUT at the blue skies over the State Pen?

The weekend forecast is almost that good. Baltimore can expect highs Friday through Sunday in the upper 80s, with no rain and lots of sunshine. The 90-degree weather we've come to know and love resumes next week, with highs rising daily to 95 by Wednesday.

Headed for the beaches? You'll see 80 degrees and no more than some fair-weather clouds right through the weekend, if the forecasters have it right. Be careful with the rip currents, though.

Going west to Deep Creek? The mountain folk are expecting highs in the mid- to upper-70s, with plenty of sunshine. Again, no rain in sight.

Speaking of rain, the new Drought Monitor Map is in, and it reflects a small amount of improvement from the prior week's report. Scattered showers across the Eastern Shore appear to have diminished the extent of the drought there. But not by much.

The territory rated in Severe Drought has retreated a bit away from the coast. It's centered now over Somerset County, the southern half of Wicomico and the western half of Worcester. The territory in severe drought now amounts to 7 percent of the state, down from almost 10 percent last week.

Moderate drought persists from Talbot County south, and in southern portions of Calvert and St. Mary's counties in Southern Maryland. The rest of the state from eastern Washington County east remains in the "abnormally dry" category. 

All told, 86 percent of Maryland is rated from "Abnormally Dry" to "Severe Drought," down from 87 percent last week.