James Spann says hotter days are just ahead for Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

COOL START: Here are some of the cooler temperatures across Alabama just before sunrise:

• Fort Payne — 53
• Cullman — 54
• Gadsden — 55
• Morris — 56
• Jasper — 57
• Pell City — 57
• Chelsea — 58
• Trussville — 58
• Decatur — 59

This could be the last time we see lows in the 50s until the fall. Today will be sunny with a high between 88 and 92 degrees.

RISING HEAT LEVELS: The weather stays dry Thursday through Saturday with mostly sunny days, fair nights and a warming trend. Highs will be in the 90s, and by Saturday some spots might even touch the 100-degree mark. The heat index will top 100 degrees over the weekend.

Moisture levels rise a bit Sunday, and we will bring in the chance of a few scattered showers, but for now we aren’t expecting anything especially widespread.

NEXT WEEK: We will maintain the chance of a few showers daily through the week, but the deepest moisture will likely be west of Alabama. Rain amounts will be light and spotty; the higher rain coverage will be over the southern counties, but, even there, no washout. Heat levels drop, with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s through the week.

TROPICS: Low pressure near the west-central coast of Florida is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms. This system has moved little over the past few hours but is expected to move northeastward across Florida and offshore of the U.S. Southeast coast within the next day or so. Although upper-level winds are expected to be only marginally conducive, some slow development is possible while the system moves offshore. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is forecast to continue across portions of the Florida peninsula during the next few days.

The chance of development over the next seven days is only 20%, and this feature will not affect the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores over to Panama City Beach).

The European global model suggests some potential for tropical storm formation in the far southwest Gulf of Mexico in a week or so; it moves the tropical low into Mexico. Again, it will have no impact on the central Gulf Coast.

ON THIS DATE IN 1915: An estimated F4 tornado moved northeast from northwest of Waterville, Iowa, crossing the Mississippi River two miles south of Ferryville, Wisconsin. A man and his daughter were killed in one of three homes that were obliterated southwest of Heytman, a small railroad station on the Mississippi River.

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