The Weather Authority: Rain likely overnight, drier week ahead

WARM SATURDAY: Look for a high around 80 degrees this afternoon with a partly sunny sky. Showers and storms will enter West Alabama late in the day, and rain is likely statewide tonight.

SPC maintains a low end, "marginal risk" (level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms for areas south of a line from Livingston to Montgomery to Phenix City. A few storms across the southern half of the state could produce small hail and strong, gusty winds this evening.

Rain will end early tomorrow... for most places before 6:00 a.m. The sky becomes partly to mostly sunny, and the high will be close to 70 degrees.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Quite weather is the story Monday through Thursday with mostly sunny mild days and fair nights; showers return Friday.

From the Alabama WX Blog:

At 9:30 am, skies are mostly clear across much of Central Alabama, but we do have clouds encroaching from the west and southwest that are blocking out much of the sunshine across the southeastern portions of the area. The good news is that radar continues to be clear of any precipitation across all of Central Alabama, with the closest activity off of the Gulf Coast well south of Mobile, and up into the western portions of Tennessee and the extreme northern portions of Mississippi.

Temperatures as of the 9 am roundup were in the lower 60s to the lower 70s across Central Alabama. Eufaula and Troy were tied as the warm spots at 71. Four different locations were tied as the cool spots at 63. Birmingham was at 66. Afternoon highs are expected to reach the upper 70s to the lower 80s.

Currently, out at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix weekend, we have bright sunshine and the temperature at 63. Wind is currently calm at the track. The good news is that much of the day will be dry, but there will be an increase of shower and thunderstorm chances as we reach the late-afternoon to early evening hours, and will be likely during the night and overnight hours. While severe weather is not expected up this far north today, a strong storm tonight is possible with gusty winds, small hail, and dangerous lightning. Please be weather aware if camping at the track tonight.

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Speaking of stronger storms, the SPC has a Marginal Risk up for locations along and south of a line from Aliceville to Prattville to Smiths Station. The main window for this strong to severe weather threat will be from 1 pm this afternoon until 8 pm this evening from west to east. Isolated damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph and quarter size hail will be possible, but we also can’t rule out a brief tornado.

Rain and storms will develop out to our west and will begin to move into the western portions of the area this afternoon and slowly push eastward through the evening and overnight hours. No severe weather is expected north of the marginal risk locations, but a few strong storms cannot be ruled out. It will be a wet Saturday night across the area, with lows reaching the mid to upper 50s for most.

The good news is that rain and storms will be exiting the eastern parts of the area tomorrow morning, and skies will begin to clear out as drier and cooler air moves in. It will be breezy at times as winds may gust up to 20-25 mph. Temperatures will be a little cooler as highs will be in the upper 60s to the upper 70s.