James Spann: Spotty showers to start the week for Alabama; cooler, drier air on the way

RADAR CHECK: We have scattered showers in progress across Alabama early this morning; they are moving northward. With a moist airmass in place we will continue to mention the chance of scattered showers through Wednesday. Unfortunately rain amounts will be light and spotty, and certainly no “drought buster”. Amounts for most communities will be a quarter inch or less; highs will be generally in the low to mid 80s.

A cold front will pass through the state Wednesday night and Thursday; highs drop into the 70s Thursday with a fresh north breeze. A few showers are possible Thursday mainly over the southern counties of the state ahead of the front.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Look for sunny pleasant days and clear cool nights. Morning lows drop well down into the 50s Saturday and Sunday morning; a few cooler spots could reach the upper 40s over the northern third of the state. Highs will be generally in the 70s Friday, and in the 78-82 degree range over the weekend.

And, at this point much of next week looks warm and dry with highs in the 80s. See the video briefing for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: A broad area of low pressure associated with a low-latitude tropical wave (Invest 95L) continues to produce a large area of disorganized cloudiness and showers several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form by midweek as it moves quickly across the central tropical Atlantic, approaching the Leeward Islands by the latter part of this week.

NHC gives it a 70% chance of development, but all models show a turn to the north into the open Atlantic well before reaching the U.S. No tropical storms or hurricanes are expected across the Gulf for at least the next 7-10 days.

ON THIS DATE IN 2010: A significant severe weather event struck northern Arizona with at least eight confirmed tornadoes. This event will go down in history as the most tornadoes to hit Arizona in a single day. An EF2 tornado was on the ground for 34 miles, ranking as the longest-tracked tornado in Arizona history.

ON THIS DATE IN 2016: The center of Category 4 Hurricane Matthew passed within 100 miles of Miami. Passing through the Bahamas as a major hurricane, Matthew spread damage across several islands. Grand Bahama was hit directly, where most homes sustained damage in the townships of Eight Mile Rock and Holmes Rock.

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