ON THE MAP: We have a rare August front pushing through Alabama this afternoon; temperatures are in the low to mid 80s north of the front, but parts of south Alabama are sizzling in the upper 90s. A band of showers and storms is along the front just south of I-85 at midafternoon, and the Storm Prediction Center maintains a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms through this evening south of a line from Opelika to Greenville to Mobile.

The core threat with the stronger storms will come from strong straight-line winds. The front will continue to drop southward tonight, winding up near the Gulf Coast by daybreak.

REST OF THE WEEK AND THE WEEKEND: Lows will drop well down into the 60s over the northern two-thirds of the state early Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and some of the cooler spots could dip into the upper 50s for a little taste of fall. The high will be between 82 and 86 degrees Wednesday over the northern half of Alabama with lower humidity; south Alabama will see low 90s.

Heat levels rise late in the week, and by the weekend we expect highs back in the mid 90s along with slowly increasing humidity.

Most of the state will be dry Wednesday through the weekend with mostly sunny days and fair nights. Isolated storms will be confined to far south Alabama, and even there the risk of any one spot getting wet will be low (20%).

NEXT WEEK: Next week looks quiet as well, with hot and mostly dry conditions; highs will be in the 90s and isolated afternoon thunderstorms will remain over the southern quarter of the state. After today, there’s no sign of any organized severe thunderstorm threat for seven to 10 days for a change.

TROPICS: The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical wave in the far eastern Atlantic, and another one will emerge off the coast of Africa tonight. The lead wave will be in a hostile environment and has only a 10% chance of development over the next seven days. The wave coming off the African continent has a 30% chance of development in four to seven days. No tropical systems are expected to be near the Gulf of Mexico or the U.S. for at least the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1787: Tornadoes were reported in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Wethersfield, Connecticut, was hard hit by the tornado outbreak. There, a woman and her family were caught in the open. She and her son were killed. Clothes from the family farm were carried three miles away. This event is regarded to be the most significant tornado outbreak in early New England history.

ON THIS DATE IN 1983: Hurricane Alicia formed and was the costliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic since Hurricane Agnes in 1972. It struck Galveston and Houston, Texas, directly three days later, causing $2.6 billion in damage (1983 dollars) and killing 21 people. This storm was the worst Texas hurricane since Hurricane Carla in 1961.

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