James Spann forecasts dry, pleasant weather for Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

DRY AIR: An unusually dry air mass for August has settled into the Deep South today, setting the stage for a mostly sunny day with low humidity. Highs will range from the upper 80s over north Alabama to the low 90s over the southern half of the state. Most places will drop well down into the 60s early Wednesday, but cooler spots across the northern counties will dip into the 50s for a nice fall preview.

Some moisture from the Atlantic will creep into the state from the east over the latter half of the week. We will introduce a small risk of a shower Wednesday afternoon over southeast Alabama, followed by a chance of isolated showers statewide Thursday. Most places will be dry, however; odds of any one spot seeing rain Thursday are 15-25%.

Any showers Friday and over the weekend will be confined to the southern third of the state, and they will remain widely scattered. North Alabama will be dry. The high Friday will be between 88 and 93 degrees, followed by 90s statewide Saturday and Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: We can’t rule out a few isolated showers on a day or two, but much of the state will stay dry through the week with highs in the mid 90s. Lows will be in the 70s.

TROPICS: Ernesto passed south of Cape Race, Newfoundland, overnight, and today will accelerate into the colder waters of the North Atlantic, becoming post-tropical over the next 24 hours.

The rest of the Atlantic basin remains calm, and additional tropical storm formation is not expected during the next seven days.

ON THIS DATE IN 1928: A tornado estimated at F4 intensity initially touched down in Winnebago County, Iowa, moved to Freeborn County, Minnesota, and hit the south side of Austin, Minnesota. Five of the six deaths were in Austin with 60 injuries.

ON THIS DATE IN 2023: Hilary made landfall as a tropical storm in a sparsely populated region of northwestern Mexico in the state of Baja California, with sustained winds estimated at 60 mph. This was about 215 miles south-southeast of San Diego, California. In Mexico, the hurricane killed three people and left at least 250 million pesos in damage.

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