James Spann: Heat levels rising as Alabama stays dry through the weekend

DRY DAYS: The sky is mostly sunny across Alabama this afternoon with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s in most spots. Tonight will be clear with a low in the 60s.

Alabama’s weather stays dry through the weekend with mostly sunny days and fair nights. Afternoon heat levels will continue to slowly rise; we expect highs in the 87-91 degree range tomorrow, followed by low 90s Friday through the weekend. Morning lows will be in the 60s.

NEXT WEEK: Not much change. The weather looks dry at least for the first half of the week. A few isolated showers are possible late in the week, but there is no sign of any big rain event here for at least the next 10 days … See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: A tropical wave is forecast to emerge offshore of west Africa in a couple of days. Environmental conditions could support some slow development of the system over the weekend into early next week as the wave moves to the west-northwest at about 15 mph over the eastern and central tropical Atlantic. Chance of development is only 20%.

The rest of the Atlantic basin will be very calm for at least the next seven days.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday Alabama will host Wisconsin at Bryant-Denny Stadium (11 a.m. kickoff) … the sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from the upper 80s at kickoff into the low to mid 90s during the second half. It will be a hot afternoon.

Auburn hosts South Alabama Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium (11:45 a.m. kickoff) … the weather will be hot and dry with a mostly sunny sky. Temperatures will rise into the low to mid 90s during the game.

UAB hosts Akron Saturday night at Protective Stadium (7:30 p.m. kickoff) … the sky will be clear with temperatures falling into the 70s during the game.

ON THIS DATE IN 1960: The center of Hurricane Donna passed over the middle of the Florida Keys between 2 and 3 a.m. Donna was a Category 5 hurricane over the Atlantic and a Category 4 at landfall. This storm caused the deaths of over 100 in Puerto Rico, 50 in the United States, and 63 in a jet crash. The plane crash occurred on August 29th as a French airliner was attempting to land at Dakar, Senegal during a “blinding rainstorm.”

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: Hurricane Irma crossed the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm. Irma then weakened to Category 3 status, prior to another landfall in Florida on Marco Island later that day. Irma caused widespread and catastrophic damage throughout its long lifetime, particularly in the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. It was also the most intense hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina in 2005, the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in the same year, and the first Category 4 hurricane to strike the state since Charley in 2004.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit the Alabama Weather Network.