James Spann: Summer mix of sun, storms for Alabama over the weekend

SUMMER DAYS: We have a classic summer mix of sun and scattered showers and thunderstorms for Alabama and the Deep South today and over the weekend. A weak upper trough to the west will bring an uptick in the number of showers, but the overall forecast is pretty routine for June. Look for a mix of sun and clouds each day with scattered showers and storms most active from 2 until 10 p.m.

The chance of any one spot getting wet each day is 60-65%, and heavier storms will produce strong wind gusts and lots of lightning. Temperatures will be very close to average, with highs mostly in the upper 80s. The average high for Birmingham on June 13 is 88.

NEXT WEEK: The overall pattern stays the same. Expect partly sunny days with the risk of a passing shower or thunderstorm during the afternoons and evenings. Afternoon showers should be fewer over the latter half of the week as an upper ridge builds across the Deep South. Heat levels will also creep up, with highs close to 90 on most days.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains very calm, and tropical storm formation is not expected for at least the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1976: A deadly tornado moved across parts of the southwestern Chicago suburbs, killing three people and injuring 23 others. The tornado, with winds in excess of 200 mph, moved from Lemont to Downers Grove, causing $13 million in damage when 87 homes were destroyed and another 90 were damaged. The tornado passed over the Argonne National Laboratory, peeling part of a roof off the building housing a nuclear reactor.

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