WARM: These new record highs were established Thursday:

• Birmingham — 86 (old record was 85, set in 2022)
• Huntsville — 84 (old record was 82, last set in 2022)

Many Alabama communities will exceed 80 degrees again today with a mix of sun and clouds under a strong upper ridge, the same ridge that is keeping the hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico far to the south. A few spotty showers are possible this afternoon, mainly over the southern half of the state.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Scattered showers will be around both Saturday and Sunday, but rain distribution will be uneven. The sky will feature more clouds than sun; highs will be in the upper 70s Saturday, followed by low to mid 70s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: A few showers remain possible Monday, followed by generally dry weather Tuesday. A cold front will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms late Wednesday and Wednesday night, followed by noticeably cooler air Thursday and Friday. Highs drop into the 60s over the northern half of the state, with lows in the 40s by the end of the week. There’s still no sign of freezing temperatures for the next 10-15 days.

TROPICS: Hurricane Rafael, with sustained winds of 120 mph, is about 585 miles east of the southern tip of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico this morning. It is moving west at 9 mph.

The latest National Hurricane Center forecast shows slow weakening and a full loop in the middle of the Gulf over the next five days. Rafael is then forecast to dissipate over the southwest Gulf by the middle of next week without making landfall.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: A few isolated showers are possible for the high school football playoff games across Alabama tonight, but most stadiums will be dry. The sky will be mostly cloudy with temperatures falling through the 70s.

On Saturday, UAB will host UConn at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham (1:30 p.m. kickoff); expect a mix of sun and clouds with an outside risk of a passing shower during the game. Temperatures will hover between 78 and 81 degrees.

Alabama will be in Baton Rouge to take on LSU (6:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be cloudy with a shower or two possible; temperatures will fall slowly through the 70s. Some lightning and thunder can’t be ruled out but isn’t likely.

ON THIS DATE IN 1913: The Great Lakes Storm of Nov. 7-13, 1913, was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Region. The storm was the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster to hit the Great Lakes in recorded history. More than 250 people were killed. Shipping was hard hit; 19 ships were destroyed and 19 others stranded.

ON THIS DATE IN 1994: The twelfth and final tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season formed in the southwestern Caribbean. While Hurricane Gordon was only a Category 1, it killed 1,149 people, including 1,122 in Haiti.

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