SIZZLING SUMMER AFTERNOON: Temperatures are in the mid to upper 90s across most of Alabama this afternoon with a mostly sunny sky; tonight will be fair with a low in the 70s.

A strong upper ridge will continue to blanket much of the U.S. from the Rockies to the southern Atlantic coast, and that feature will keep Alabama and the Deep South dry and very hot through the beginning of the weekend. With mostly sunny days, afternoon highs will stay between 96 and 102 degrees. Heat-index values will be well over 100 thanks to dew points in the 70s. This is the hottest week of the year.

The ridge begins to break down and shift westward Sunday; the high will drop back into the low to mid 90s, and we will introduce the chance of a few isolated showers or thunderstorms.

NEXT WEEK: Heat levels continue to fall. Highs drop into the 80s through the week, and we will have scattered showers and thunderstorms daily, especially between 2 and 9 p.m.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains active today. Concerning the named systems:

Tropical Storm Harold made landfall this morning at South Padre Island, Texas, with 50 mph winds; the system will dissipate by Wednesday morning over southwest Texas.

Gert has dissipated in the Atlantic east of the northern Leeward Islands.

Tropical Storm Franklin is in the Caribbean about 230 miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Winds are still 50 mph, and is it drifting to the northwest at only 7 mph. This system will bring heavy rain to Hispaniola Wednesday. It is forecast to ultimately become a Category 1 hurricane well east of the Bahamas over the weekend. From there it will move north/northeast and should remain east of the U.S. East Coast.

Out in the eastern Atlantic, Invest 92L could become a tropical depression or storm over the next few days, but it should gain latitude and will most likely remain well east of the contiguous U.S.

Other than Tropical Storm Harold over south Texas, we see no tropical systems that threaten the U.S. for at least the next seven days.ON THIS DATE IN 1893: Four hurricanes are observed in the Atlantic Ocean at the same time. More than a century would pass before four hurricanes would again rage together in the Atlantic in 1998.

ON THIS DATE IN 1994: Hurricane John, about 345 miles south of Hilo, Hawaii, had winds of 175 mph and pressure at 920 millibars or 27.17 inches of mercury, making it one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the central Pacific. Its 31-day existence made John the longest-lasting tropical cyclone recorded in both the Pacific Ocean and worldwide, surpassing both Hurricane Tina’s previous record in the Pacific of 24 days in the 1992 season and the 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane’s previous world record of 28 days in the Atlantic. John was also the farthest-traveling tropical cyclone in both the Pacific Ocean and worldwide, with distance traveled of 7,165 miles.

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