James Spann forecasts drier days for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

AIR MASS CHANGE: A nice surge of dry air is dropping into Alabama this morning and will set the stage for a dry day with lower humidity. The high will be between 85 and 88 degrees; the average high for Birmingham on Sept. 2 is 89. Tonight will be clear and very pleasant; most places will drop well down into the 60s, but some of the cooler spots across north Alabama could reach the upper 50s for a hint of fall.

FRIDAY AND THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Sunny, warm weather continues Friday and Saturday, with highs between 87 and 90 degrees. The day Sunday will most likely be dry with a partly to mostly sunny sky, but a few showers could creep into north Alabama late in the day and Sunday night as a disturbance approaches from the north. The high Sunday afternoon will remain generally in the upper 80s.

For Labor Day, we will forecast a mix of sun and clouds with a few scattered showers possible statewide as moisture levels rise a bit — nothing widespread and  nothing too heavy. Again, temperatures will reach the upper 80s Monday afternoon.

REST OF NEXT WEEK: We will keep some risk of scattered showers in the forecast Tuesday and Wednesday, but both days should still feature a decent amount of sun. The risk of a shower Thursday and Friday looks low at this point. Highs through the week will remain at seasonal averages, in the upper 80s.

TROPICS: Larry in the eastern Atlantic is now a hurricane and is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane Friday, but it will gain latitude and recurve into the open Atlantic well east of the U.S.

A small area of low pressure (Invest 91L) near the coast of Nicaragua is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. This low is expected to move inland over Nicaragua this morning, but a portion of its circulation could move over the Gulf of Honduras on Friday, where development, if any, is expected to be slow to occur. This system could then move over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico during the weekend and early next week, but by then strong upper-level winds would likely limit significant development. Regardless of development, heavy rains are possible across portions of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula through the weekend.

There will be no tropical issues for the central Gulf Coast through the middle of next week.

ON THIS DATE IN 1935: The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 made landfall near Long Key, Florida. To this day is remains the strongest and most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States. A total of 408 people died in the Florida Keys; the region was swept by a massive storm surge as the eye passed over the area. The storm destroyed Henry Flagler’s railroad that connected Key West to the mainland and is said to have cleared every tree and every building off Matecumbe Key.

The waters quickly receded after carving new channels connecting the bay with the ocean; however, gale-force winds and high seas persisted into Tuesday, preventing rescue efforts. The storm continued northwestward along the Florida west coast, weakening before its second landfall near Cedar Key on Sept. 4.

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