James Spann forecasts rain and storms for south Alabama, dry in the north from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: Areas of rain along with a few thunderstorms are over the southern quarter of Alabama early this morning; the rest of the state is dry and cooler. The best chance of showers and storms today will remain over south Alabama, and the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) maintains a marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms south of a line from Grove Hill to Troy to Eufaula.

Heavier storms across south Alabama will produce strong wind gusts and possibly some hail. For the northern counties of the state, today will feature a mix of sun and clouds with a high between 60 and 65 degrees. The average high for Birmingham on March 28 is 70.

The weather will be dry Wednesday and Thursday with a good supply of sunshine both days; highs will be in the 60s and 70s. Mornings will be pretty chilly for late March, and colder spots over the northern half of the state will be in the mid to upper 30s. A little light frost can’t be ruled out.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The day Friday will be dry and mild, with a high in the 70s. A band of showers and thunderstorms will push into the state Friday night into Saturday morning ahead of a cold front. The SPC has defined a risk of severe thunderstorms for areas north and west of Birmingham in its outlook that runs through 7 a.m. Saturday.While the main dynamic support will be passing well north of Alabama, the air will be unstable, and severe storms certainly could develop. Once we get within 60 hours of the event (the range of the high-resolution convection-allowing models) we will have a much better look at the situation. The SPC could very well expand the risk into a larger part of Alabama in future outlooks.

By Saturday afternoon, the best chance of showers and storms will shift into the southern half of the state. Sunday looks dry with a partly to mostly sunny sky. Highs Saturday will be in the 70s, and on Sunday north Alabama will hold in the 60s as cooler air drops in.

NEXT WEEK: Moisture returns Monday with some risk of showers and storms, and the week looks generally unsettled with multiple rounds of rain and thunderstorms likely. It’s too early to know the severe weather risk, but the first week of April usually brings some very active weather to the Deep South. Highs will be in the 70s and 80s.ON THIS DATE IN 1920: A long-track tornado moved from near Deatsville to West Point, Georgia, killing 17 people. Some of the greatest destruction was in Tallapoosa County in the vicinity of Susanna, Agricola and the Red Ridge settlement. This tornado was part of an outbreak that saw 38 tornadoes hit the Midwest and the Deep South states. More than 380 people died and at least 1,215 were injured during the Palm Sunday outbreak.

ON THIS DATE IN 1963: A decision was handed down in the case of Whitney Bartie vs. the United States of America. Bartie sued the U.S. Weather Bureau for negligence in failing to provide a warning about Hurricane Audrey in 1957. Bartie’s wife and five children were killed after the 12-foot storm surge struck Cameron Parish, Louisiana, on the morning of June 27, 1957. It was ruled that the evidence presented did not establish negligence on the part of the Weather Bureau.

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