James Spann says rain, storms return to Alabama on Thursday from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: Just before sunrise we have a few showers across the Tennessee Valley of far north Alabama. Otherwise it is a dry, muggy morning with temperatures in the 70s. The day ahead will be hot and humid, with highs in the 90s.

The Storm Prediction Center has defined a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for the part of Alabama north of a line from Russellville to Gardendale to Ranburne, and a marginal risk (level 1) as far south as Eutaw, Montgomery and Phenix City.

An organized mass of storms is expected to form over Tennessee later today; this mesoscale convective system will move into north Alabama with potential for strong winds and heavy rain. A flash flood watch is in effect north of a line from Russellville to Birmingham to Heflin through Friday afternoon.

A few showers and storms are also possible over south Alabama later today, but they will be widely spaced.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: There is potential for another mass of storms to move through Alabama Friday with a marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for roughly the southern two-thirds of the state.

It won’t rain all day, and the sun will be out at times. The high will be between 87 and 92 degrees for most communities.

Concerning the weekend, for now it looks like a decent part of the day Saturday will be dry with just a few widely scattered showers and storms and a high in the low 90s. Showers and storms will increase a bit on Sunday with highs between 89 and 93 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: Forecasting summer convection is always a challenge. We are seeing evidence a drier air mass could temporarily dip into the northern half of Alabama Tuesday and Wednesday; otherwise, the week will feature a mix of sun and clouds with scattered showers and storms daily, especially during the afternoons and evenings. Highs will be mostly in the low 90s, right at seasonal averages.TROPICS: All is amazingly quiet for early August across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected at least for the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1970: Hurricane Celia made landfall near Aransas Pass as a major Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds of 140 mph. Hurricane Celia was the third major hurricane to affect the middle Texas coast in a nine-year period (Carla in 1961 and Beulah in 1967). Celia caused 15 fatalities in south Texas and 466 injuries. It was the costliest tropical cyclone in Texas history until Hurricane Alicia in 1983.

ON THIS DATE IN 2020: Hurricane Isaias made landfall at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane during the evening of Aug. 3, 2020, with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph. The storm’s rapid movement limited rainfall amounts; however, significant storm surge flooding and multiple tornado touchdowns occurred across portions of coastal South Carolina and North Carolina.

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