Virginia Weather Forecast: Air Quality Alert, But Break From the Heat Coming Soon

There's an air quality alert across the region Monday, but it won't be long before we're seeing cooler temperatures and clear skies.

The "code orange" alert means that air pollution in the region may be unhealthy for children, the elderly and those with asthma or heart and lung diseases. "The effects of air pollution can be minimized by avoiding strenuous activity or exercise outdoors," according to the National Weather Service.

The week kicks off with patchy fog Monday morning, followed by mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 90s. It'll be slightly cooler and a little windy Tuesday.

Wednesday offers our best chance for an afternoon shower or storm. And Thursday begins to cool things down. By Friday, we're looking at a high of 82, and overnight lows near 60 degrees.

It won't last forever. The temperatures climb back to the upper 80s by Sunday and it looks like we'll be back to normal by early next week, but the weekend will be about as pleasant as we've seen in some time.

This week's big weather story: hurricane season. Forecasters are watching several storm systems in the Atlantic, including Tropical Depression 8, which looks like it will become a tropical storm before dumping heavy rains on North Carolina early this week.

Here's the latest forecast from the National Weather Service:

Monday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Light and variable wind.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Northeast wind 3 to 6 mph.

Wednesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.