James Spann: Strong storms possible in Alabama late this afternoon, tonight

James Spann forecasts a chance of strong storms for the northern half of Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.
ACTIVE STORMS LATER TODAY: We have a few showers over northeast Alabama early this morning, but the weather is dry elsewhere with temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees at daybreak. A disturbance will bring potential for active thunderstorms later today; the Storm Prediction Center has defined a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for areas north of a line from Reform to Hanceville to Scottsboro. A marginal risk (level 1) extends down to Linden, Prattville and Ranburne.
The window for the heavier storms will come from around 4 until 10 p.m., and the main concern is from strong straight-line winds. It won’t rain everywhere, but any one spot in the northern half of Alabama stands a 60-70% chance of seeing a thunderstorm late this afternoon and tonight. Storms will weaken and fade late tonight as they drop southward.
Any showers Thursday will be confined to far south Alabama and areas near the Gulf Coast. Otherwise, the day will be partly to mostly sunny with a high between 87 and 91 degrees.
FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The weather will be very pleasant with mostly sunny days, lower humidity and cooler nights. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s, with lows well down in the 60s. Cooler spots across north Alabama could reach the 50s.
NEXT WEEK: The weather stays dry Monday, but global models are suggesting moisture levels rising with some risk of showers Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of a surface front; highs will remain mostly in the mid to upper 80s.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: The sky will be clear for the high school football games across Alabama Friday night with temperatures falling through the 70s.
Saturday, UAB will take on Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia (5 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be occasionally cloudy, and a passing shower or thunderstorm can’t be ruled out during the game. Temperatures will fall from near 89 degrees at kickoff through the 80s during the second half.
Alabama will host Texas Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium (6 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from near 83 degrees at kickoff into the 70s by the second half.
Auburn will be in Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears (9:30 p.m. kickoff). Expect a clear sky with temperatures in the 60s during the game.
TROPICS: Tropical Storm Lee is in the Atlantic about halfway between the coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles with winds of 65 mph. It will become a hurricane later today and is expected to reach major hurricane strength (Category 3) Thursday night. The National Hurricane Center has it at Category 4 strength with winds of 155 mph by the weekend passing north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico.
Ensemble output from global models continues to show a sharp turn to the north early next week, keeping Lee east of the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast. It could affect the Canadian Maritimes by the end of next week, but it should be a much weaker system by then thanks to cooler water due to upwelling from Franklin.
Elsewhere, Invest 96L is in the far eastern Atlantic and is expected to become Tropical Storm Margot over the next few days. It will turn north and is no threat to land.
No tropical storms or hurricanes will threaten the Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven to 10 days.
ON THIS DATE IN 1933: The remnant low of the Treasure Coast Hurricane dumped 10.33 inches of rain in Charleston, the second-highest 24-hour rainfall total on record for the downtown station. The storm produced wind gusts of 51 mph and also spawned a tornado near the city.
ON THIS DATE IN 2017: Category 5 Hurricane Irma affected the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Maximum sustained winds were at 180 mph when the storm hit St. Thomas and St. John. Catastrophic damage was reported over the U.S. Virgin Islands and significant damage over Puerto Rico, especially over Culebra.
For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.