James Spann forecasts a big warm-up on the way for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

ONE LAST COOL MORNING: Temperatures are mostly in the 40s over the northern half of Alabama early this morning; for many places, this will be the last morning with a low in the 40s until late September or October. The weather stays dry today with a partly to mostly sunny sky; we project a high in the mid-70s this afternoon. The average high for May 12 at Birmingham is 81.

REST OF THE WEEK: The warm-up continues along with rising humidity levels. Look for low 80s Wednesday and Thursday, and mid-80s Friday. Each day will feature a mix of sun and clouds, and while we can’t rule out a few isolated showers, most places will remain dry. Odds of any one community seeing a shower will be in the 10% to 20% range.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Expect very warm weather Saturday and Sunday with a partially sunny sky. Any showers will remain few and far between, and the high will be in the mid to upper 80s.

NEXT WEEK: The overall pattern won’t change. A strong upper ridge will keep the big rain producers west and north of Alabama, and showers will remain isolated or widely scattered. Look for partly sunny days, fair nights and highs not too far from 90. It will certainly feel like summer.

RAIN UPDATE: Birmingham’s rain total for the year so far is 38.83 inches, and the surplus is 18.07 inches. While most communities across the northern half of the state have a similar total, the southern counties of Alabama are very dry. At Mobile, the total for the year is only 14.16 inches, and the deficiency is 9.29 inches. Most of Mobile and Baldwin counties are in a moderate drought.

ON THIS DATE IN 1997: A towering F1 tornado ripped its way through the middle of Miami, Biscayne Bay and Miami Beach right after lunch, smashing cars and windows, tossing trees skyward and scaring the dickens out of thousands of people.

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