James Spann forecasts near-record heat in the days ahead from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

HOT IS THE WORD: A strong upper high will remain anchored across the Deep South over the next five to seven days, keeping temperatures well above average. Today will be partly to mostly sunny; we will mention a chance of isolated showers or thunderstorms over east and south Alabama, but odds of any one spot getting wet are only about 1 in 8. The high will be in the low 90s.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Look for mostly sunny days, fair nights and highs in the mid 90s. We could see a few spots reaching the upper 90s over west Alabama, right at record levels. Here are the record highs for Birmingham in coming days:

• Today (May 23) — 95 (1996)
• Friday (May 24) — 96 (1996)
• Saturday (May 25) — 95 (1962)
• Sunday (May 26) — 97 (1962)
• Monday (May 27) — 98 (1962)

NEXT WEEK: The hot, dry weather will continue Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the 90s. A few widely scattered afternoon showers are possible over the latter half of the week as the ridge weakens a bit, but no widespread rain is expected.

WEDNESDAY’S SEVERE WEATHER: At least three people were killed by a tornado in southwest Missouri near Golden City late Wednesday, and Jefferson City has major tornado damage as well, with injuries reported. Severe storms developed in a broad zone from northeast Oklahoma into central Illinois. Severe river flooding continues along the Arkansas River in east Oklahoma.

ON THIS DATE IN 1968: One of the costliest hailstorms in Oklahoma City history pummeled the city on this date. Hail the size of baseballs fell over much of the city, resulting in more than 40,000 insurance claims over the 90,000-square-mile path of the storm. The final cost was more than $20 million. The parent thunderstorm also caused flash flooding that left 2 to 4 feet of water in some underpasses and a lightning strike that started a fire that killed two people.

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For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.