SUNNY SUMMER DAY: Temperatures are between 88 and 93 degrees across Alabama this afternoon with a mostly sunny sky. We have one lone shower on radar at mid-afternoon over the far northeast corner of the state; the rest of the state is dry. Tonight will be mostly fair with a low in the 70s.

An upper ridge will build across the Deep South this week, setting the stage for a hot, mostly dry forecast through the weekend. It is a simple forecast — mostly sunny days and fair nights with highs in the 90s and lows in the 70s. A few isolated afternoon storms could show up by Friday and the weekend, but the chance of any one spot getting wet is only 5-10% each day.

Not much change is expected for the first half of next week; there is some evidence the ridge weakens a bit in seven to 10 days with the return of scattered showers and thunderstorms by then. Highs will stay in the 90s.

TROPICS: A tropical wave (Invest 95L) over the southeastern Caribbean Sea is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms, with some heavy rains over portions of the adjacent land areas. Development of this system is not expected while it continues to move rapidly westward over the Caribbean during the next few days. The chance of development is only 10%.

Also, a weak trough of low pressure is a few hundred miles south-southwest of Bermuda. Significant development of this system appears unlikely while it moves move west-northwestward toward the southeastern U.S. coast over the next several days. The chance of development here is only 10% as well.

And a tropical wave is south of the Cabo Verde Islands in the far eastern Atlantic. Some development of this system is possible later this week and into the weekend while it moves westward to west-northwestward over the tropical Atlantic. The chance of development over the next seven days is 20%.

The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet, and there are no tropical systems near the Gulf of Mexico.

RAIN UPDATE: Here are rain totals for the year so far, and the departure from average:

• Mobile — 37.63 inches (1.59 inches below average)
• Tuscaloosa — 36.51 (4.69 above average)
• Anniston — 34.91 (2.8 above average)
• Montgomery — 32.36 (1.65 above average)
• Birmingham — 32.24 (2.43 below average)
• Dothan — 31.82 (0.15 above average)
• Huntsville — 29.68 (3.03 below average)
• Muscle Shoals — 28.98 (3.89 below average)

ON THIS DATE IN 1936: Lincoln, Nebraska, saw an all-time high temperature of 115 degrees. The low only dropped to 91 degrees and the average temperature was 103. Many people spent the night sleeping outside to escape the heat.

ON THIS DATE IN 2005: The residents of Sand Point, Alaska, saw a rare tornado touchdown on two uninhabited islands. Sand Point is part of the Aleutian Chain and is about 570 miles southwest of Anchorage.

ON THIS DATE IN 2020: Hurricane Hanna, the 2020 Atlantic season’s first hurricane, made landfall in south Texas along the unpopulated Padre Island National Seashore, carrying sustained 90 mph winds with gusts over 100 mph in a small portion of the inner eye wall.

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