James Spann: Get set for Alabama’s warmest week so far this year from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

ANOTHER DRY DAY: Alabama’s weather will stay warm and dry today, with ample sunshine and a high in the low to mid 80s this afternoon. You might see a few fair-weather cumulus clouds later today, but there is no risk of rain.

TOMORROW: A very active severe weather day is likely tomorrow across the nation’s heartland. The good news is that for Alabama, all of this stays well to the west, and we will enjoy another warm and dry day with a high up in the mid 80s. The sky will be partly to mostly sunny.

WEDNESDAY: The risk of severe weather creeps closer to Alabama, in a broad zone from St. Louis down to Houston. The morning will be dry Wednesday; we will mention just the chance of shower or storm Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday night, but no severe weather is expected in Alabama for now.

THURSDAY: The system that is responsible for the severe weather threats west of Alabama will weaken and lift out. Showers and storms are a good possibility for our state Thursday, but with weakening dynamic support severe weather is not expected to be an issue. Thursday’s high will be close to 80 degrees.

FRIDAY: For now it looks dry, and very warm. The GFS is printing a high of 88 degrees for Birmingham, which means this will most likely be one of the warmest days so far this year (we did reach 88 on March 15).

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We will introduce the risk of widely scattered showers Saturday afternoon, but a decent part of the day will be dry. Expect a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the mid to upper 80s as the summer preview continues. Then, the chance of showers and storms will increase on Sunday as another disturbance approaches from the west. While a strong storm is not totally out of the question, the severe weather risk Sunday looks low. The high Sunday will drop to near 80 due to clouds and showers.

NEXT WEEK: Looks like we will need to maintain some chance of rain for the first half of the week, followed by cooler temperatures.

RACE WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA: Friday promises to be a very nice day at the Talladega Superspeedway, with a good supply of sunshine and a high in the 86- to 89-degree range. Saturday should be mostly dry with only a few widely scattered showers to deal with; the high Saturday will be well up in the 80s. But Sunday could be a problem with a good chance of showers and storms. It won’t rain all day, and they certainly have a chance of getting the race in, but be ready for delays. Sunday’s high will be close to 80 degrees.

AT THE BEACH: Just a few isolated showers today from Gulf Shores over to Panama City Beach; otherwise, mostly sunny days and fair nights through Friday. Highs will be in the 70s along the immediate coast, with 80s inland. The sea water temperature early this morning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is 74 degrees.See a detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY: Watch ABC 33/40 Tuesday evening at 6 for a one-hour special as we look back at the generational tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011 that killed 252 people in our state.

WEATHER BRAINS:

Don’t forget you can listen to our weekly 90-minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including meteorologists at ABC 33/40. We will produce this week’s show tonight at 8:30. You can watch online here.

For more weather news and information, visit Alabama WX.