James Spann forecasts another rainy day for many in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUES: We have scattered showers early this morning over the southern half of Alabama; otherwise the sky is mostly cloudy as the day begins with temperatures in the low 70s. Clouds will hang tough over much of the state, and we project another day with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms. A flash flood watch is in effect for parts of west and southwest Alabama, from near Livingston, Greensboro and Marion south to Mobile and Baldwin counties. This is where some places saw around 5 inches of rain Wednesday, and the ground there is totally saturated. Temperatures will hold in the 70s much of the day due to clouds and showers.FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Showers and thunderstorms will become a little less numerous by the weekend as the air will be a bit more stable. Odds of any one spot seeing rain Friday are still 65-75%, but they drop to 30-40% Saturday and Sunday. The high will be around 80 degrees Friday with a generally cloudy sky, but we rise into the mid to upper 80s over the weekend with a mix of sun and clouds. Most (but not all) of the showers Saturday and Sunday will come between noon and midnight.

NEXT WEEK: We expect partly sunny days with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly during the afternoon and evening. Highs will be in the upper 80s most days, fairly routine weather for the end of August. It’s still too early for a specific forecast for the Labor Day weekend, but we see no evidence of any high-impact weather event across the Deep South.

TROPICS: The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor two tropical waves. One is approaching the Windward Islands; shower and thunderstorm activity remains disorganized in that area. Environmental conditions could become more conducive for slow development of this system in several days after it crosses the Windward Islands and moves across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea late this week into early next week.

The other tropical wave is moving off the west coast of Africa. Environmental conditions could support some slow development of this system later this week or over the weekend while it moves westward at 10 to 15 mph.

For both waves, the NHC gives only a 20% chance of development over the next five days, and the rest of the Atlantic basin remains very quiet.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games Friday night, a few scattered showers are possible, mostly during the first half of the games. It won’t rain at every stadium, but I would take the rain gear. Temperatures will be near 80 at kickoff, falling into the upper 70s during the second half.

Saturday, Jacksonville State will take on Stephen F. Austin at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery (2:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN). The sky will be partly sunny with some risk of a passing shower or storm during the game. The kickoff temperature will be near 87, falling back into the low 80s by the final whistle.

ON THIS DATE IN 1814: A strong tornado moved through Washington, D.C. The storm arrived the day after British troops had set fire to the Capitol, the White House and other public buildings. The storm’s rains would douse those flames. The tornado did major structural damage to the residential section of the city. Flying debris killed more British soldiers than the guns of the American resistance. The storm blew off roofs and carried them high up into the air, knocked down chimneys and fences and damaged numerous homes, some of which were destroyed. It lifted two pieces of cannon and deposited them several yards away. At least 30 Americans were killed or injured in the heavily damaged buildings, and an unknown number of British were killed and wounded.

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the middle Texas coast at Category 4 strength. It caused catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone on record, inflicting $125 billion in damage, primarily from severe rainfall-triggered flooding in the Houston metropolitan area and southeast Texas. With peak accumulations of 60.58 inches in Nederland, Texas, Harvey was the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, which displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.