RADAR CHECK: Most of the scattered showers and thunderstorms across Alabama are over the southern counties of the state this afternoon, south of a boundary set up by a large rain mass over the northern part of the state last night. Showers are moving slowly to the southeast and will fade away once the sun goes down. Temperatures are generally below average for early August; most communities are in the upper 80s over the north and central part of the state.

REST OF THE WEEK: Fairly routine summer weather is the story. Most of the sunshine will come during the mornings, and each day we will have scattered, mostly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. The chance of any one spot getting wet is 20% Tuesday, 25% to 30% Wednesday and Thursday, and 50% to 60% Friday. Afternoon highs will be between 89 and 92 through midweek and in the upper 80s Friday.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: We will go with a persistence forecast. There will be enough moisture and instability for random, scattered showers and storms, mainly between noon and 10 p.m. Otherwise, we’ll have a mix of sun and clouds both days with highs around 90. Again, just what you expect in August in Alabama.

And there’s no evidence of any major changes for next week.

TROPICS: All remains quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected this week.

ON THIS DATE IN 1980: Hurricane Allen intensified into a Category 5 hurricane while south of Puerto Rico. This made Allen the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, but it was later surpassed by Hurricane Emily, which reached that intensity on July 16, 2005. Shortly before landfall, a dry air mass in the western Gulf of Mexico caused the storm to weaken substantially. Allen made landfall Aug. 9 north of Brownsville, Texas, as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

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