James Spann: A few scattered showers, storms for Alabama later today

HUMID AIR: Humidity levels will stay elevated across Alabama today, and we expect more scattered showers and storms to form this afternoon and early tonight. Most of them will be over the northern half of the state, where odds of any one spot seeing rain are around 40-50%. The sun should break out at times, and the high will be in the low 80s in many areas.

THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Showers should slowly become fewer Thursday through the weekend, but the air mass won’t change. This means there will be some risk of an afternoon shower or storm daily, but with their widely scattered nature a good part of these days will be dry. Most of the showers will come from around 2 until 9 p.m. — basically a summer pattern in late April. The stronger upper winds and dynamic support for storms will remain well to the north and west of Alabama.

NEXT WEEK: The overall pattern won’t change much during the first half of the week — warm days, highs in the mid 80s, humid air and a few spotty showers and storms. Global models suggest we could very well see higher rain coverage toward the end of the week with the approach of a cold front.

RACE WEEKEND: Expect highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s at Talladega Friday and over the weekend. With a humid air mass in place we can’t rule out the chance of a brief afternoon shower each day, but they should be widely spaced, and most of the weekend will be dry. There will be no risk of severe storms.

ON THIS DATE IN 1948: An estimated F4 tornado devastated a three-block-long section at the edge of Ionia, Iowa, in Chickasaw County. Six homes and a church were leveled, and nine other homes were severely damaged. Two deaths occurred in the collapse of the Huffman Implement Store. Overall, the tornado killed five people and injured 25.

ON THIS DATE IN 1999: A horrific hailstorm moved southeast from Pennsylvania across Garrett County, Maryland, into the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Some communities saw a third of the homes with siding and roof damage. Some required total replacement. Windows were broken, cars dented and windshields smashed. Piles of shredded plant debris were left on the ground in the storm path.

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