James Spann has the forecast for a dry Tuesday in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

WARMER AFTERNOONS: Dry weather will continue across Alabama through Wednesday; the sky will be mostly sunny with afternoon highs in the 86- to 89-degree range for most communities. While we enjoy the quiet weather, an active severe weather pattern sets up for parts of the Southern Plains down into Texas. There is a moderate risk (level 4 out of 5) of severe storms today for parts of the Texas Panhandle over into far west Oklahoma.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: An approaching surface front will bring showers and storms into Alabama by mid to late afternoon Thursday and into Thursday night. The Storm Prediction Center has a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) defined for parts of north and west Alabama, but, with the main upper support pulling away, we aren’t expecting a big severe weather program for our state.

The front will stall out around here late Thursday night, so we will need to keep the chance of showers and storms in the forecast on Friday as well. There will be no severe weather threat Friday, and it won’t rain all day. The high will be in the mid 80s Thursday, followed by low 80s Friday.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The stalled front won’t go anywhere, so the unsettled pattern continues. We will deal with occasional showers and a few thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday with highs between 77 and 80 degrees. Will it rain all weekend? No; there will be some good breaks in the rain. But if you have something planned outdoors, be ready for a shower or storm from time to time. Severe thunderstorms are not expected; rain amounts over the weekend will be around 1 inch, possibly heavier in spots, with only a limited amount of sun.

NEXT WEEK: The front gets a nudge to the south Sunday night, and for now Monday and Tuesday look dry and pleasant with highs between 77 and 81. Showers and storms look possible over the latter half of the week as moist air returns.

AIR QUALITY ALERT: A code orange air quality alert has been issued for Jefferson and Shelby counties today because of the potential of high ground ozone levels. Ground-level ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in the presence of heat and sunlight.

Nitrogen oxides come primarily from combustion of fuels in automobiles, coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers and gas-powered engines such as lawnmowers and leaf blowers. People with respiratory problems might consider limiting their time outdoors on code orange days.

ON THIS DATE IN 2003: The 5.71 inches that fell at the Birmingham Airport was a record for the date, but much more impressive amounts fell to the northeast around Trussville. J.B. Elliott reported 9.82 inches at his home just northeast of Trussville, all of it falling within four hours. Another retired National Weather Service employee reported 10.5 inches of rain off Edwards Lake Road. Doppler radar estimates indicated that as much as 12 inches of rain fell across parts of Jefferson County, with as much as 8 inches falling in just one hour.

Tremendous flooding resulted in downtown Trussville, which took on the appearance of a massive lake. The Trussville Municipal Complex flooded. Several police cars and fire trucks were submerged. A mudslide blocked the entrance to Camp Coleman. Record crests were reported on Turkey Creek, Five Mile Creek and Village Creek. Across Jefferson County, more than 120 roads were underwater. High-water rescues had to be performed in many locations. More than 2,000 automobiles were submerged. Total damage in Jefferson County alone was estimated at $1 billion.

A tragic event occurred when a tree weakened by a severe thunderstorm earlier in the day fell on a house 12 hours later, killing a 13-year-old Trussville girl as she slept on the couch.

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