James Spann: Morning sun, scattered afternoon storms for Alabama

RADAR CHECK: Again today, we have the classic case of random, scattered showers and thunderstorms on radar across Alabama. Some spots are getting a big downpour, but many other places have no rain at all with a partly to mostly sunny sky. Temperatures are mostly in the low 90s away from storms. Scattered storms end after sunset.

Hot, humid summer weather will continue across Alabama through the weekend with partly sunny days and the daily risk of a passing afternoon shower or storm in scattered spots. For most of the state, the chance of any specific location seeing a cooling shower will remain 25-35%, with slightly higher odds over the southern counties. Most communities will see a high in the low 90s Thursday through Saturday. Temperatures will creep back into the mid 90s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: The upper ridge will strengthen a bit, meaning next week will likely be the hottest week so far this summer. Afternoon highs could reach the upper 90s by midweek, then fall back into the low 90s by the weekend of Aug. 2-3. Afternoon storms will be isolated.

TROPICS: A trough of low pressure near northern Florida is producing a few showers and thunderstorms. Over the next day or two, this system is forecast to move west-southwestward into the north-central portion of the Gulf, where some slow development is possible. By this weekend, the system is likely to move inland, ending its chances for development.

The National Hurricane Center gives this only a 10% chance of development. Weather will be pretty routine on the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach) through the weekend, with the standard mix of sun and scattered storms. But a high rip-current danger is forecast on Friday.

The rest of the Atlantic basin remains very quiet.

ON THIS DATE IN 2008: Hurricane Dolly made landfall approximately 80 miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas. Sustained tropical-storm-force winds spread as far north as the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, with tropical-storm-force wind gusts affecting nearly the entire Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Plains region.

ON THIS DATE IN 2011: Chicago set an all-time daily record rainfall when 6.86 inches fell during the early morning at O’Hare airport. The previous daily record was 6.64 inches, set on Sept. 13, 2008.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.