RADAR CHECK: We have a few widely scattered showers and thunderstorms over the northern half of the state this afternoon, but most of Alabama is dry with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Showers will end this evening, and tonight will be mostly fair with a low around 70 degrees in most places.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Highs will be in the upper 80s Friday and Saturday, followed by low 90s Sunday and Monday. We’ll have partly sunny days and mostly fair nights.

We will maintain the chance of scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday over the northern two-thirds of the state. Most of the showers will come from about 1 until 10 p.m.; odds of any place getting wet are 30-40%.

The day Sunday looks hot and mostly dry with a good supply of sunshine, but an organized batch of storms could affect north Alabama late Sunday night and before dawn Monday.

Part of the day Monday will be dry, but a cold front will bring another batch of rain and storms into the state Monday afternoon and night.

While a decent part of the Memorial Day weekend will be dry, where storms do form, they will be heavy, with potential for some small hail and strong, gusty winds.

REST OF NEXT WEEK: A dry air mass will arrive Tuesday; any showers will be confined to the southern third of Alabama, and even there the rain won’t be especially widespread or heavy. Dry weather will likely continue through Thursday; a few spotty showers could show up Friday. Midweek will be cooler; some spots could dip into the 50s by Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

ON THIS DATE IN 1960: A massive earthquake in Chile the previous day produced a tsunami that killed 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii. An additional 180 people died on the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan.

ON THIS DATE IN 1968: One of the costliest hailstorms in Oklahoma City history pummeled the city. Hail the size of baseballs fell over much of the city, resulting in more than 40,000 insurance claims over the 90,000-square-mile path of the storm.

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