THIS AFTERNOON: The southern two-thirds of Alabama is enjoying a mostly sunny, mild day with temperatures in the 70s. A few showers linger over the northern counties this afternoon with a mostly cloudy sky; places like Huntsville are only in the 50s because of clouds and rain. Showers end this evening, and the sky will be mostly fair tonight with a low in the 50s.

Thursday will be mostly sunny and warm, with a high between 80 and 85 degrees. The day Friday will also be warm and dry with a mix of sun and clouds; temperatures rise into the low to mid 80s again. South winds will increase by afternoon.

FRIDAY NIGHT: A cold front will push an organized band of thunderstorms into Alabama late Friday night and into the early hours Saturday. The Storm Prediction Center has defined a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe storms for areas west of a line from Fort Payne to Verbena to Camden to Jackson. A marginal risk extends as far east and south as Opelika and Geneva.

The surface and upper-air synoptic pattern certainly favors severe thunderstorms; the main question involves the degree of surface-based instability available. This will likely be a linear event with the main threat coming from strong, potentially damaging straight-line winds, but a few tornadoes are very possible.

The window opens up for severe storms over far west Alabama around 11 p.m.; the line will advance through the state through the early morning Saturday. This will be a middle-of-the-night type event, and everyone will need a reliable way of getting warnings. The baseline is a NOAA Weather Radio; every home and business needs one. Have Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled on your phone and be sure “Do Not Disturb” is not active Friday night.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Storms end very early Saturday morning; the sky becomes partly to mostly sunny by afternoon with a high around 80 degrees. Clouds return Sunday, and we will bring in a chance of showers and thunderstorms by afternoon; the high will be between 75 and 80 degrees. The best chance of showers will be over the southern half of the state.

NEXT WEEK: Showers and storms are possible Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week looks dry for now. Highs will be in the upper 60s and 70s through the week.

ON THIS DATE IN 2022: Three tornadoes touched down in southwest Alabama, including an EF-1 that moved through Baldwin County from Summerdale to Robertsdale.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

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