WE NEED SOME RAIN: Not long ago, everyone was asking when in the world it was going stop raining in Alabama. But now the tables have turned and it is getting dry around here. Today is the 13th consecutive day without measurable rain in Birmingham; the last rain was on May 16, when 0.65 of an inch was received. The surplus for the year is down to 0.68.

The sky is mostly sunny this afternoon with temperatures in the 88- to 94-degree range, and there is no rain on radar. The sky will stay mostly fair tonight.

THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Don’t look for much change as the upper high remains the main player. We could see a few isolated showers Thursday afternoon, but the weather will remain mostly rain-free through the weekend with partly to mostly sunny days and fair nights. Heat levels will back off a bit; the high will be in the low 90s Thursday and in the 87- to 91-degree range Friday through Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: Dry weather continues Monday and Tuesday with highs around 90 degrees, but we will bring in a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms Wednesday through Friday as the upper high weakens and the air becomes more unstable. The rain won’t be especially widespread, but at least we will have the chance of showers daily. Highs will be in upper 80s over the latter half of the week.

ON THIS DATE IN 1982: Two significant tornadoes ripped through southern Illinois. The most severe was an F4 that touched down northeast of Carbondale, then moved to Marion. The twister had multiple vortices within the main funnel. Extensive damage occurred at the Marion Airport. Ten people were killed and 181 were injured, while 648 homes and 200 cars were damaged or destroyed, with total damages around $100 million.

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