NICE WARM-UP: Temperatures are near 70 degrees across Alabama this afternoon despite a cold start, with lows in the 30s for most places. The sky is mostly sunny, and tonight will be fair with a low in the 40s.

The weather stays dry Thursday with a high in the mid 70s.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Clouds will increase Thursday night, and rain becomes widespread across Alabama Friday and Friday night. The air will be cool and stable (the high will be in the low 60s), so there will be no risk of severe storms and probably very little thunder. Rain amounts will be one-half to 1 inch for most communities.

The latest model data suggests clouds will likely linger into Saturday, and we will need to mention some risk of lingering showers over the eastern half of the state during the morning. The high Saturday will be in the mid 60s, about 5 degrees below average for late March. Sunday will be sunny with a high in the low 70s following a morning low between 37 and 44 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: After a dry Monday, showers and possibly a few thunderstorms return to the state Tuesday. Models show limited surface-based instability and upper air support, so for now it doesn’t look like a severe weather setup. New model runs suggest some risk of rain will linger into Wednesday and Thursday, followed by dry weather on Friday. Afternoon highs through the week will be generally between 65 and 72 degrees.ON THIS DATE IN 1948: An F3 tornado tracked through Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City just before 10 p.m., destroying 54 aircraft, including 17 transport planes valued at $500,000 apiece. The total damage amounted to more than $10 million, a record for the state that stood until the massive tornado outbreak of May 3, 1999.

Maj. Ernest W. Fawbush and Capt. Robert C. Miller were ordered to see whether operationally forecasting tornadoes was possible. The May 20 tornado prompted the first attempt. Five days later, at 6 p.m. March 25, a forecasted tornado occurred, crossing the prepared base, and the damage was minimized. The successful albeit somewhat lucky forecast paved the way for tornado forecasts to be issued by the U.S. Weather Bureau after a lengthy ban.

ON THIS DATE IN 1998: A deadly tornado outbreak occurred over portions of the southeastern United States. Particularly hard hit were rural areas outside of Gainesville, Georgia, where at least 12 people were killed during the early morning. The entire outbreak killed 14 people and produced 12 tornadoes across three states. The town of Stoneville, North Carolina, was hard hit by the storms.

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