THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We’ll have some clouds in the sky today that will block out the sun at times, and don’t be surprised if one or two of those clouds squeeze out a few raindrops. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s.

At this point Sunday looks to be a little brighter day with everyone staying dry. Other than some breezy conditions at times, the weather will be great. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s.

THE WORK WEEK: We’ll start off the work week on a dry note Monday. It will be pretty similar to Sunday, partly cloudy to mostly clear and breezy at times. Highs will be in the mid-70s to the lower 80s.

We’ll start to have some moisture move up into Alabama Tuesday from Eta as it will be stationed just off the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. We could see some scattered showers in here through the daylight hours. Rain will become likely during the evening and late night. Highs will be in the upper 70s to the lower 80s.

Wednesday will feature more clouds than sun with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible. With the Global Forecast System model, much of the rain will stay over far eastern Alabama, while the European model shows a good bit of rain over all of central Alabama. Either way, showers and storms will be possible. Highs will be in the mid-70s to the lower 80s.

Again, very different scenarios are shown for Thursday and Friday according to what long-range model you are looking at. The GFS shows mainly dry conditions both days, while the European keeps shower and thunderstorm chances in the forecast as it has Eta just south of the northern Gulf Coast. It will all depend on exactly where Eta goes. We will get a better idea once it gets better established over this weekend. Highs on both days will be in the lower 70s to the lower 80s.

TROPICS: Speaking of Eta, it’s still a depression but is expected to gradually strengthen into a tropical storm at some point today. More strengthening is expected Sunday. Movement is to the northeast around 10 mph and is forecast to accelerate a little through Sunday morning before curving to the north and northwest by Sunday afternoon. Tropical Storm Watches are up for the western tip of Cuba, for the coasts of South Florida and the Florida Keys, and for the northwestern Bahamas. Tropical Storm Warnings are up for the Cayman Islands and the eastern two-thirds of Cuba.

A storm surge of 1-2 feet can be expected along the east coast of the Florida Peninsula from the Flagler/Volusia county line to north Miami Beach. a 2-3 foot surge can be expected for the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys.

Heavy rainfall amounts of 5-10 inches are expected over south Florida and the Florida Keys, with isolated maximum amounts potentially reaching 15 inches or more.

Where does Eta go after Wednesday? Forecast ensembles are all over the board. Some circle it around into the central Gulf of Mexico. Some have it getting a push to the northeast and crossing northeast Florida. The good news is that the intensity guidance is keeping it as a low- to mid-range tropical storm before weakening back into a depression. We’ll get a better idea once Eta gets better organized over the weekend.

ON THIS DATE IN 1940: The Galloping Gertie bridge at Tacoma, Washington, collapsed in strong winds, resulting in a $6 million loss just four months after the grand opening of the new bridge. The winds caused the evenly sized spans of the bridge to begin to vibrate until the central one finally collapsed. From that point on, bridges were constructed with spans of varying sizes.

BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Dauphin Island to Panama City Beach, Florida, on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region you are interested in.

For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.