James Spann forecasts warmer weather ahead for Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

STILL DRY TODAY: Temperatures are mostly in the 40s across Alabama early this morning; we expect a high between 76 and 82 degrees today with a sunny sky. Clouds will increase tonight, and a few showers are possible as early as Friday morning as a warm front approaches from the south. Additional scattered showers or storms are possible Friday afternoon and evening, especially across the Tennessee Valley region of north Alabama. Still, a decent part of the day will be dry with a high in the mid to upper 70s.

THE WEEKEND: We are forecasting a mix of sun and clouds Saturday and Sunday with highs generally in the low 80s. Humidity levels will be higher, and we will mention some risk of scattered showers and storms both days. But the odds of any one spot getting wet are only around 35% Saturday and 20% Sunday, so the weekend certainly won’t be a washout. The highest chance of a passing shower both days will come during the afternoon and evening.

NEXT WEEK: The week will be much like summer with warm, humid days and some risk of scattered showers or storms daily. The latest global model data suggests the highest coverage of showers could come Monday and Tuesday, with a trend toward drier weather across the latter half of the week as ridging builds. Highs will be well in the 80s, and some spots could touch 90 degrees by midweek.

ON THIS DATE IN 2003: The week of May 4-10 was one of the busiest weeks for tornadoes in U.S. history. On May 4-5, the deadliest outbreak of severe weather since May 1999 produced 84 tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds across eight states. Several thunderstorms became tornadic, with five distinct tornado touchdowns in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Two of the tornadoes received a rating of F4, two a rating of F2 and the last was rated an F1.

ON THIS DATE IN 2007: A devastating EF5 tornado demolished nearly every structure in Greensburg, Kansas, around 9:30 p.m., killing 10 people. The mammoth wedge tornado cut a swath 1.7 miles wide and 22 miles long across the Kansas landscape. It was the worst single tornado to touch down in the U.S. in eight years.

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