James Spann forecasts a dry Friday, Saturday for Alabama before storms return from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

DRY AIR: A much drier air mass will filter into the Deep South today. We note a few isolated sprinkles over north Alabama ahead of the push of dry air at daybreak; those won’t last long. The sky becomes sunny with a high in the upper 80s. Saturday will be mostly sunny with a high not too far from 90, but humidity will be lower over the northern half of the state. Showers will be confined to the far southern counties, and even there they will be widely scattered.

Moist air returns Sunday along with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. The Storm Prediction Center has introduced a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for the northwest corner of the state, with a marginal risk (level 1) down to Northport, Gardendale and Centre.

Heavier storms will be capable of producing strong winds and some hail. It won’t rain all day, but a few periods of rain are likely with highs in the 80s.

NEXT WEEK: An unsettled weather pattern is setting up next week, and there will be a risk of showers and thunderstorms daily. Much of Alabama has potential for some needed and beneficial rain; seven-day rain totals could exceed 3 inches over the northern two-thirds of the state. Of course, there will be some sun at times through the week, and highs will be mostly in the 80s.TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains quiet, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1966: Hurricane Alma made landfall over the eastern Florida panhandle, becoming the earliest hurricane to make landfall on the United States mainland.

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