WE NEED RAIN: While some in Alabama had a brief shower Sunday morning, most places didn’t get a drop. For example, in Birmingham (using data from the airport, where records are kept), yesterday’s total was 0.00 inch. The total for October at Birmingham is 0.00, and today will be the 30th consecutive day with no rain.

Unfortunately, the pattern remains dry for most of the state this week, but there are a few exceptions. We will mention a chance of isolated showers across the southwest corner of the state Wednesday and Thursday (mainly Mobile and Baldwin counties), but amounts should be very light. Some rain is likely across the northwest quarter of Alabama Thursday night and Friday ahead of a front; places like Muscle Shoals could see around one-half inch. Amounts will be lighter to the south and east, and areas southeast of Birmingham will most likely stay dry.

Highs this week will be close to 80 degrees, almost 10 degrees above average for the end of October. Lows will be in the 58- to 64-degree range.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: For now, the weekend looks dry with warm afternoons and pleasant nights; highs will stay around 80, with lows not too far from 60.

There is some hope for rain around the middle of next week, Nov. 6-7.

TROPICS: A broad area of low pressure is likely to develop over the southwestern Caribbean Sea in a few days. Gradual development is possible thereafter, and a tropical depression could form late this week or over the weekend while the system begins to drift northward or northeastward over the southwestern and south-central Caribbean Sea.

The National Hurricane Center gives this feature a 40% chance of development over the next seven days. If anything does form, most likely it will ultimately move northeast, remaining south and east of the contiguous U.S.

ON THIS DATE IN 1999: A super typhoon known as Cyclone 05B reached the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. This storm is the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the north Indian Ocean. Cyclone 05B hit the Indian state of Odisha near the city of Bhubaneswar Oct. 29. An estimated 10,000 people died from this cyclone, and 1.67 million were left homeless.

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