A few more storms are possible into Thursday, but the long-awaited pattern shift finally appears to take over by the weekend. Temperatures will respond, with weekend highs soaring into the mid-90s.

Tonight & Tomorrow: Afternoon showers and storms have left behind rain-cooled air, which will lead to a few dry hours into the early evening. However, another round of isolated storms will be possible later in the evening and overnight. The driving force for these storms will be a weak cold front sliding into the area. Look for an overnight low near 73°.

The cold front may trigger some of these isolated storms early Thursday morning. As the front pushes south, we'll see drier air arriving from north to south. This will result in clearing skies for the second half of the day. In fact, skies might be completely sunny by sunset. It's hard to completely rule out a spotty afternoon shower in the heat of the day, but those would be favored closer to the coast. It'll otherwise be a hot and muggy day with a high in the low to mid-90s. Peak feels-like temperatures will sit close to 100°.

Up Next: The wet pattern we've recently experienced has been characterized by long-lived storm complexes pushing into Louisiana from the Plains. A ridge of high pressure will set up over the south-central U.S. in the coming days, shutting off the development of said storms complexes. The net result will be drier days through the weekend across the capital area. Look for mainly sunny skies Friday through Sunday. Temperatures will be hot with highs soaring into the mid-90s with feels-like temperatures past 100°. While not enough to trigger heat alerts, be sure to drink lots of water this weekend.

Long-term data hints at a cooldown early next week with the arrival of yet another cold front. We anticipate a slight dip in temperatures and subtle drop in humidity with it. It should still be warm and muggy, but not quite as bad. The front could also open the door for a few more storm chances.

The Tropics: For the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, all is quiet. No tropical development is expected over the next seven days.

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-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron