WARM APRIL DAY: Temperatures are generally between 78 and 85 degrees across Alabama this afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds. A few showers are over the far northwest part of the state from near Vernon to Florence, but the rest of the state is dry. Any additional showers that form will end this evening, and tonight will be mostly fair with a low around 60 degrees.

Not much weather change is expected through the weekend as an upper ridge builds across the Deep South. Look for partly sunny, warm days, fair nights and highs in the low to mid 80s. There will be only a very small risk of a shower daily; the big storms remain well to the west of Alabama.

NEXT WEEK: A weak front will bring some risk of showers to the northern half of Alabama Monday night, but rain amounts will be light and spotty. The rest of the week looks warm with only isolated showers and highs in the 80s. There’s still no sign of any high-impact weather for Alabama for at least the next seven to 10 days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1912: An estimated F4 tornado struck Ponca City, Oklahoma. One person was killed, and 119 homes were damaged or destroyed. Dozens of oil derricks were flattened or twisted southwest of town. The tornado was reportedly visible and audible for 20 miles.

ON THIS DATE IN 2011: Tornadoes touched down across a few states west of Alabama, causing significant damage in Arkansas. An intense supercell thunderstorm tracked near the Little Rock area and a tornado emergency was declared for the city of Vilonia. A large EF2 wedge tornado struck the town, causing severe damage and killing four people. A strong EF3 tornado had struck the Hot Springs Village area earlier that evening, causing severe damage and one death.

This was the beginning of the “Superoutbreak” of tornadoes April 25-28, 2011; a total of 360 tornadoes touched down, killing 324 people. Alabama’s big day came on April 27.

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