RADAR CHECK: A batch of thunderstorms is moving southward through east Alabama this afternoon, with potential for hail and strong winds. A number of severe thunderstorm warnings have been needed. The rest of the state is hot and dry, with temperatures generally in the mid to upper 90s. The heat index is 100-110 degrees. We will maintain the chance of isolated storms through the evening; otherwise, tonight will be mostly fair with a low in the 70s.

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND: The weather stays hot as a firecracker Saturday and Sunday, with highs generally in the mid 90s; afternoon and evening thunderstorms remain possible in a few spots. The storms could be heavy, with potential for hail and strong, gusty winds; odds of any one neighborhood seeing rain both days are around 30%, and most of the storms will come between 2 and 9 p.m.

On Monday and Tuesday, heat levels will fall, with highs back in the low 90s.

REST OF THE WEEK: We expect an increase in the number of scattered showers and thunderstorms over the latter half of the week as the heat ridge continues to weaken and the air becomes more unstable. Highs Wednesday through Friday will be between 88 and 91 degrees for most places.

ON THIS DATE IN 1912: An estimated F4 tornado ripped through Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The storm became the deadliest tornado in Canada’s history as it killed 28 people along a rare, 18.5-mile track from south to north.

ON THIS DATE IN 2010: Hurricane Alex made its final landfall along the northern Mexican coast around 110 miles south of Brownsville, Texas, as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Alex was the first hurricane in June for the Atlantic Basin since 1995, and the strongest in June since Hurricane Alma in 1966.

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