A NICE EASTER WEEKEND: After a cold start today, skies will be mainly sunny and temperatures will warm nicely into the lower to mid-60s for most locations. Skies will stay clear tonight with lows getting back down into the mid to upper 30s. Easter will be even nicer as skies remain sunny and afternoon highs reach the upper 60s to the lower 70s.

WARMING UP, STAYING DRY THROUGH MIDWEEK: Monday will be another day featuring near-maximum sunshine with even warmer temperatures. Highs will be in the lower to mid-70s. Tuesday will be another nice, sunny day to start, but a few clouds move in during the afternoon. Highs will be warmer again, reaching the mid-70s to the lower 80s. Wednesday will be a degree or two warmer with mostly clear skies to start, but an approaching system will push clouds into the area throughout the second half of the day. Highs will be in the mid-70s to the lower 80s.

RAIN, STORMS TO FINISH THE WORK WEEK: A strong low will move northeastward through Illinois and the Great Lakes region on Thursday that will swing a cold front into Alabama late in the day. It will have a hard time moving across the state and will not exit until late Friday night.

A few showers will be possible early Thursday, but with the heating of the day and increasing instability, thunderstorms will develop throughout the afternoon and evening. A few of the storms may become strong to severe, but it is too early to determine the risk at this point. Early soundings from the models are pointing to the potential of damaging winds, hail and maybe a brief spin-up tornado, but we’ll get a better idea as we get closer to the date. Highs will be in the mid-70s to the lower 80s.

Rain and storms will continue before dawn Friday, but the front and main line of storms will slowly drift southeastward and will eventually exit central Alabama by the evening. After the rain moves out, skies will remain mostly cloudy. Highs will be in the lower 70s to the lower 80s.

ON THIS DATE IN 1974: A “Super-Outbreak” of tornadoes ravaged the Midwest and the eastern U.S. Severe weather erupted early in the afternoon and continued through the next day. Severe thunderstorms spawned 148 tornadoes from Alabama to Michigan, most between 1 p.m. April 3 and 1 a.m. April 4. The tornadoes killed 315 people, injured 5,300 others and caused $600 million in damage. Alabama, Kentucky and Ohio were especially hard hit in the tornado outbreak. One tornado destroyed half of the town of Xenia, Ohio, killing 34 people. Another tornado, near the town of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, produced a path of destruction a record five miles wide. A tornado raced through Guin, Alabama, at 75 mph. Two powerful tornadoes roared across northern Alabama during the early evening, killing 50 people and injuring 500 others. Some rescue vehicles responding to the first tornado were struck by the second.

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.