SUMMER PREVIEW: An upper ridge across the Southeast will bring some of the warmest weather so far this year to Alabama and the Deep South through the Easter weekend, with highs well into the 80s daily. A few spots will approach 90 degrees Saturday, about 10 to 15 degrees above average for mid to late April. Expect partly to mostly sunny days and fair nights.

NEXT WEEK: A surface front will drift down toward the Alabama/Tennessee border before becoming nearly stationary early next week. This will bring a chance of showers, and possibly some thunder, to roughly the northern two-thirds of Alabama Monday through Thursday. The rain won’t be especially heavy, and we don’t expect any severe thunderstorms.

The front dissipates, and as the upper ridge strengthens showers should be rather hard to find by Friday and the following weekend, April 25-27. Temperatures will remain above average, with highs generally in the 80s.

ON THIS DATE IN 1906: At 5:12 a.m., a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit San Francisco. A devastating fire soon broke out in the city and lasted for several days. About 3,000 people died and more than 80% of San Francisco was destroyed.

ON THIS DATE IN 1969: An F4 tornado moved through northern Sumter County in west Alabama; two people were killed as 18 homes were destroyed near Panola. Farm buildings were destroyed near Ramer. Several homes were damaged or destroyed near Fitzpatrick, where injuries occurred. This may have been a family of tornadoes.

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