James Spann: A few isolated afternoon storms for Alabama Wednesday through Friday

LAZY, HAZY SUMMER DAY: Temperatures are between 85 and 90 degrees across Alabama this afternoon with a partly to mostly sunny, hazy sky. There’s no rain on radar, and tonight will be fair with a low in the upper 60s and low 70s.

Moisture levels rise a bit Wednesday and will bring some risk of scattered afternoon showers or storms. High-resolution models suggest the best chance of a passing shower or storm will be over the eastern half of the state. The high will remain in the mid to upper 80s.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Expect a partly sunny sky both days with widely scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs will remain between 84 and 90 degrees, very close to seasonal averages for early June.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A surface front will bring an increase in the number of showers and thunderstorms to the northern half of the state Saturday; the Storm Prediction Center has defined a risk of severe storms there due to the potential of hail and strong, gusty winds. We will mention a chance of showers and thunderstorms statewide on Sunday — not raining all day, but a passing shower or storm is likely. Highs will be in the 80s both days.

NEXT WEEK: For now, we will roll with a routine June pattern through the week — partly sunny days with the risk of mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms in scattered spots. Highs will be in the 80s, with lows in the upper 60s most mornings.

TROPICS: A nontropical area of low pressure is forecast to form near the southeastern U.S. coast along a frontal boundary during the next couple of days. Environmental conditions appear only marginally conducive for the low to gradually develop some subtropical or tropical characteristics later this week if it forms or moves off the coast. The low is forecast to move east of North Carolina over the Atlantic by late Friday or Saturday. The chance of development over the next seven days is only 10%. The rest of the Atlantic basin, including the Gulf, is very quiet.

ON THIS DATE IN 1860: Iowa’s infamous Camanche Tornado, likely an F5 storm, killed 92 and injured 200. Every home and business were destroyed. It was one of the most damaging families of tornadoes ever to strike the United States and resulted in more farm fatalities than any other tornado except for the Tri-State tornado.

ON THIS DATE IN 1993: Early-morning severe thunderstorms dumped huge hailstones across northern Oklahoma. Hail, up to 6 inches in diameter in Enid, went through roofs of homes and damaged three jets at Vance Air Force Base.

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