SUNNY AFTERNOON: There’s nothing but sunshine over the northern half of Alabama this afternoon; temperatures are generally in the 68- to 73-degree range. Tonight will be clear and cool, with a low between 48 and 53 degrees.

Tuesday will be another sunny day with a high in the mid to upper 70s. Wednesday will be dry, but clouds increase late in the day into Wednesday night as another spring storm system approaches.

NEXT ROUND OF STORMS: Showers and storms return to Alabama after midnight Wednesday night into the daytime Thursday. Models have trended a little slower, suggesting the main window for rain comes from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. The Storm Prediction Center has parts of west Alabama in a slight to marginal risk of severe storms in its outlook valid through 7 a.m. Thursday.

If the system is slower and the thunderstorms come more during the midday and afternoon Thursday, there could be sufficient instability for severe thunderstorms statewide. We will have a much better look at the situation Tuesday, when we are within range (60 hours) of the high-resolution computer models. It looks like rain amounts will be in the 1- to 2-inch range. The sky will clear by Thursday night.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Friday looks dry with a high in the upper 70s, but another fast-moving system will bring yet another band of rain and thunderstorms to the state after midnight Friday night into Saturday morning. It’s too early to know if this one will bring the threat of severe thunderstorms. The sky clears Saturday afternoon, followed by a sunny day Sunday. Highs over the weekend will range from 68 to 72 for most communities across north and central Alabama.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look dry with seasonal temperatures; the next chance of rain and thunderstorms will come in the Wednesday/Thursday time frame.

RAIN TOTALS: Updated rain totals across Alabama yesterday:

• Jemison — 7.87 inches
• Tuscaloosa — 6.69
• Auburn — 6.56
• Coker — 5.15
• Bibbville — 5.04
• Cottondale — 4.79
• Grayson Valley — 4.01
• Northport — 3.81
• Bessemer — 3.63
• Mountain Brook — 3.39
• Margaret — 3.32
• Hueytown — 3.25
• Heflin — 3.08
• Montgomery — 3.02
• Demopolis — 2.49
• Jacksonville — 2.17

At least one person was killed in the state because of storms last night; 61-year-old Jerry Oliver Williams of Henry County was killed when a suspected tornado hit a mobile home. Rescuers found the man’s body under the wreckage, but his wife and child weren’t hurt.

ON THIS DATE IN 1920: Tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama killed 219 people. Six tornadoes of F4 intensity were reported. Aberdeen, Mississippi, was hard hit by an F4 tornado that killed 22 people. This same tornado killed 20 in Marion County, Alabama. Nine people in one family died in Winston County.

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