James Spann forecasts a hot sendoff for summer in Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

HOT SEPTEMBER DAYS: Temperatures reach the mid 90s across most of Alabama today and Wednesday thanks to a large upper high over the region; the sky will be partly to mostly sunny both days. There is actually some risk of a few very small, isolated showers or storms this afternoon during the heat of the day, but odds of any one spot getting wet are only 5-10%, so most places stay dry. For Birmingham and many other communities, today will be the 10th consecutive day with no measurable rain.

THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Thursday will be another hot day with highs in the low 90s, but a dry cold front will pass through late in the day, and that will provide heat relief for Friday and the weekend. Friday will be mostly sunny with a high in the low 80s, and by Saturday morning many communities across north and central Alabama will dip into the 50s as the “fall feel” returns. Saturday will be warm and dry, with a high in the mid 80s.

Another cold front will bring a chance of showers to the northern half of the state Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. This won’t be a really big rain event, but some spots could see one-quarter to one-half inch over the Tennessee Valley. Ahead of the front, clouds will increase during the day and the high will be in the low 80s.

NEXT WEEK: Showers on Monday will be confined to east and south Alabama; otherwise the sky will clear with a high only in the mid to upper 70s. The rest of the week looks mostly dry and pleasant at this point with highs at or just over 80 degrees most days.TROPICS: Fiona is now a major, Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph. It is very close to Grand Turk Island early this morning; the hurricane could reach Category 4 strength tonight as it moves north and could be very close to Bermuda by late Thursday night or early Friday morning.Elsewhere, a tropical wave several hundred miles east of the Windward Islands is producing a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Gradual development of this system is forecast during the next several days as the system approaches the Windward Islands, and a tropical depression could form toward the latter part of this week or weekend as the system moves into the eastern and central Caribbean sea.

This tropical wave has a very real chance of entering the southern Gulf of Mexico in about eight to 10 days, potentially as a significant system. It is important to note there is zero skill in forecasting the placement and intensity of a tropical cyclone more than seven days in advance, but the pattern does suggest there could very well be a hurricane in the Gulf by the end of next week. If that happens, we don’t know the final destination. It’s simply something to watch for now, and we will continue to do just that.ON THIS DATE IN 1909: A large and deadly Category 3 hurricane made landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, during the late evening. The states of Louisiana and Mississippi showed catastrophic damage resulting in 371 deaths.

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.