James Spann: Occasional showers, storms for Alabama today; drier air arrives Friday

James Spann has the Alabama forecast for midweek from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
ANOTHER WET DAY: An upper low is just west of Memphis early this morning, and it will bring another day of wet, unsettled weather to Alabama. Look for occasional showers and a few thunderstorms through tonight; the rain could be heavy at times and a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for much of the state. The Storm Prediction Center maintains a low-end, marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for much of north and central Alabama.We can’t rule out an isolated, brief tornado this afternoon when instability values will be at their peak, but again this is a very low-end threat. Also, heavier storms could produce some small hail due to colder air aloft associated with the upper low nearby. The high today will be between 77 and 80 degrees.
THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: The upper low will open up and move away Thursday, but showers remain possible during the day — just not as many as recent days. The sky will remain mostly cloudy with a high in the upper 70s. Then, look for drier air on Friday. Any lingering showers will end early in the day, and the sky becomes partly sunny with a high in the low 80s.
The weekend will be warm and dry; look for a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs between 82 and 85 degrees. Morning lows will be in the 60s.
NEXT WEEK: A weak front could bring a few sprinkles or isolated showers to the state Monday night or Tuesday; otherwise the week looks generally dry with afternoon highs mostly in the low 80s, a little above average for mid-October in Alabama.
TROPICS: The Atlantic basin is very quiet this morning. A disturbance north of the Bahamas has only a 10% chance of developing over the next five days; that is the only feature of interest. The Gulf of Mexico is quiet and will remain quiet through the weekend.
FOOTBALL WEATHER: The sky will be clear for the high school games Friday night with temperatures falling through the 70s.
For the college games Saturday:
GEORGIA AT AUBURN (2:30 p.m. kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium): It will be a sunny, warm afternoon in east Alabama; expect a kickoff temperature near 83 degrees, falling into the upper 70s by the fourth quarter.
FAU AT UAB (2:30 p.m. kickoff at Protective Stadium in Birmingham): Sunny and warm; 83 degrees at kickoff, falling to about 76 by the final whistle.
SFA AT JACKSONVILLE STATE (3 p.m. kickoff at Burgess-Snow Field): Sunny and warm with 82 degrees at kickoff, falling into the mid 70s by the fourth quarter.
SOUTH ALABAMA AT TEXAS STATE (6 p.m. CT kickoff in San Marcos, Texas): The sky will be clear; temperatures fall from about 88 at kickoff to near 76 by the final whistle.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT TROY (6 p.m. kickoff at Veterans Memorial Stadium): The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 80 degrees at kickoff into the low 70s by the fourth quarter.
ALABAMA AT TEXAS A&M (7 p.m. CT kickoff at Kyle Field in College Station): Expect a clear sky with temperatures falling from 85 at kickoff into the mid 70s by the final whistle.
ON THIS DATE IN 2010: A significant severe weather event struck northern Arizona with at least eight confirmed tornadoes, the most tornadoes to hit Arizona in a single day. An EF2 tornado was on the ground for 34 miles, ranking as the longest-tracked tornado in Arizona history.
ON THIS DATE IN 2016: The center of Category 4 Hurricane Matthew passed within 100 miles of Miami.
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