James Spann: Dog days are here for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

MUST BE MID-AUGUST: Some pretty classic summer weather will continue for Alabama through tomorrow: partly sunny, hot, humid days with a few widely scattered showers and storms around during the afternoon and evening. Highs generally in the 90- to 93-degree range, right at seasonal averages.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: The upper ridge begins to weaken a bit, and with slightly colder air aloft, we expect an increase in the number of scattered showers and storms on these two days. Otherwise, a mix of sun and clouds with a high very close to 90 degrees. The best chance of showers and storms will come between 2 and 9 p.m.

THE WEEKEND: Not what I would call a “rainy” weekend, but with a weaker ridge I figure we will see scattered to numerous showers and storms around Saturday and Sunday. The sun will be out at times, and highs will be mostly in the upper 80s. Impossible to determine exact placement and timing of the showers and storms, of course, since they tend to be random.

NEXT WEEK: Not much change; humid air blankets the Deep South, and every day we will have to dodge the scattered summer showers and storms. Highs will be generally in the 88- to 91-degree range, and there is still no sign of any excessively hot weather (upper 90s or higher) through the rest of August.

AT THE BEACH: About seven to nine hours of sunshine daily on the coast from Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach through the weekend, with widely scattered showers and storms. Highs will be in the upper 80s on the immediate coast, with low 90s inland. Sea water temperatures are mostly in the mid to upper 80s. See a detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

TROPICS: A disturbance in the eastern Atlantic has a good chance of becoming a tropical depression, and perhaps Tropical Storm Fiona in coming days, but it will be gaining latitude and should not be a threat to the Caribbean or the U.S. In fact, odds are high that it won’t affect any land mass.

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