James Spann forecasts a rainy morning for Alabama, with the rest of the week dry from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: We have a large mass of rain over northern and western Alabama this morning, gradually moving eastward. There are a few embedded thunderstorms, but there were no severe storms overnight. Gradient winds (non-thunderstorm) remain high east of the rain, but those winds will diminish later this morning.

There is a small amount of surfaced-based instability over far south Alabama, and a few heavy storms are possible there this morning with strong, gusty winds.

Rain will end from west to east this afternoon, and some clearing is possible as drier air works into the state. The high today will be between 65 and 72 degrees.

REST OF THE WEEK: The weather will be rain-free for Alabama for the rest of the week with partly to mostly sunny days and fair nights. Highs will be mostly in the upper 60s Wednesday and Thursday, followed by low 70s Friday. Some of the colder spots across north Alabama could drop into the 30s early Friday morning with a touch of light frost possible.

EASTER WEEKEND: We warm up in a big way. The weekend will be dry; temperatures reach the upper 70s Saturday, and many communities will see low 80s by Sunday afternoon. It looks like the warmest weekend so far this year.

NEXT WEEK: Monday looks warm and dry, with highs between 80 and 85 degrees. We will have some risk of rain in the Tuesday/Wednesday time frame, followed by dry, cooler air Thursday and Friday. It’s way too early to know whether we will have strong storms.ON THIS DATE IN 1948: Good Friday tornadoes moved from Terre Haute to Redkey, Indiana, killing 20 people. About 80% of the town of Coatesville was destroyed and 16 people were killed. The Coatesville Carnegie Library was a total loss. The path was a half-mile wide.

ON THIS DATE IN 1955: A spring cold wave was affecting Alabama and the Deep South. Birmingham dropped to 22 degrees, which still stands as the record low for March 26.

ON THIS DATE IN 2023: Seven tornadoes touched down across the southern half of Alabama, including an EF-2 near Catherine that moved through parts of Marengo and Wilcox counties.

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