RADAR CHECK: We have scattered showers and a thunderstorm or two over the western half of the state this afternoon, mostly west of I-65. Otherwise, the sky is partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures generally in the low 80s. Showers will end this evening, and the sky becomes mostly fair late tonight.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: The weather will be warm and mostly dry Friday and Saturday; the sky will be partly to mostly sunny both days with highs in the mid 80s, a little above average for early October in Alabama. The chance of a shower both days is so small we won’t mention it in the forecast. On Sunday, moisture levels rise and we will bring in the chance of showers — not a washout by any means, but a passing shower or two is very possible during the day. Sunday will feature a mostly cloudy sky with a high around 80 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: An upper low sets up just west of the state, and we should see an increase in the coverage of showers Monday. Then, we will have some risk of scattered showers daily through the rest of the week, but the rain won’t be especially heavy. Highs will be mostly in the upper 70s.

TROPICS: Sam remains a powerful hurricane in the Atlantic with sustained winds of 145 mph; it is about 680 miles south/southeast of Bermuda. Thankfully it passes well east of Bermuda Friday night and then heads into the North Atlantic, becoming post-tropical early next week — no threat to the U.S.

Out in the eastern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Victor is now expected to remain below hurricane strength as it turns to the north; it is no threat to land.

The rest of the Atlantic basin, including the Gulf of Mexico, remains very quiet.

RACE WEEKEND: The weather will be warm and dry in Talladega Friday and Saturday with a partly to mostly sunny sky; the high will be in the mid 80s. On Sunday, expect more clouds than sun with a few passing showers possible — certainly not an all-day rain and not a washout, but some rain is very possible a few times during the day. The high Sunday will be around 80 degrees.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: The sky will be mostly fair for the high school games Friday night with temperatures falling through the 70s.

For the college games Saturday:

JACKSONVILLE STATE AT KENNESAW STATE (2 p.m. CT kickoff at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia): Mostly sunny and warm; kickoff temperature near 84 degrees, falling into the upper 70s by the fourth quarter.

OLE MISS AT ALABAMA (2:30 p.m. kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium): Partly to mostly sunny and warm; temperatures fall from near 86 at kickoff to near 80 by the final whistle.

TROY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina): The weather will be warm and dry with a good supply of sunshine; about 88 degrees at kickoff, near 80 by the final whistle.

SAMFORD AT MERCER (5 p.m. CT kickoff in Macon, Georgia): A mostly clear sky during the game; temperatures will fall from 86 at kickoff into the upper 70s by the fourth quarter.

LIBERTY AT UAB (6 p.m. kickoff at Protective Stadium): Mostly fair; kickoff temperature near 78 degrees, falling into the low 70s by the end of the game.

AUBURN AT LSU (8 p.m. CT kickoff at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge): A passing shower or storm is possible during the first half; otherwise mostly fair with temperatures falling from around 80 at kickoff into the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.

ON THIS DATE IN 1896: The great “Cedar Keys Hurricane” made landfall. It entered the Gulf of Mexico as the equivalent of a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and struck the Cedar Keys, an offshore island chain that includes the island and city of Cedar Key, early in the morning with winds of 125 mph. The area was inundated by a devastating 10.5-foot storm surge that undermined buildings, washed out the connecting railroad to the mainland and submerged the smaller, outlying islands, where 31 people were killed.

Once it moved inland, up to 20 inches of rain fell over parts of Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. In all, 130 deaths were attributed to the storm.

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