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THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Both days will start with good sunshine, but with a very humid atmosphere in the southeast, there will be showers and thunderstorms from the afternoon to early evening. A higher minimum will develop on Saturday which will favor convective development. While no widespread severe weather is expected, don’t be surprised if one or two storms briefly become severe with strong downdraft winds or hail up to 1 inch in diameter. Highs will be between the mid 80s and low 90s on both days.

NEXT WEEK: With a trough over the southeast, the overall chance of rain for Monday and Tuesday in Alabama will be 70% and more. While some sunshine is possible, expect the sky to be mostly cloudy on both days. Generalized severe weather is not expected, but a few storms may have strong downdrafts and small hail. Highs will be between the upper 70s and upper 80s on Monday, reaching the lower 80s to the lower 90s on Tuesday.

The trough is moving by Wednesday, which will drop the chance of rain to around 40% for Wednesday and Thursday. Both will be typical summer days – good sunshine to start with, with a few scattered showers and storms developing throughout the afternoon and early evening. The two-day highs will be between the mid-80s and the low-90s.

On Friday, scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible in the afternoon and early evening. Before these, it will be very hot to hot and very humid with good sunshine. The highs will be between the mid 80s and the low 90s.

TROPICS: Elsa turned post-tropical late Friday afternoon and moved away from the United States.

Two distinct waves of Saharan dust will move over tropical hot spots where you would expect tropical development to occur. Dust makes the air much drier than what tropical cyclones need to organize and grow stronger. Stronger vertical wind shear is usually present in dusty air, which would also cause problems for tropical cyclones.

AT THIS DATE IN 1913: The mercury reached 134 degrees at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California, the hottest reading on record for North America. Sandstorm conditions accompanied the heat. The previous day’s high was 129 degrees, after a morning low of 93 degrees.

AT THIS DATE OF 1926: Lightning struck an ammunition store in northern New Jersey and a large ball of red fire leapt into the air, setting off a series of explosions. All buildings within a half-mile radius were destroyed and debris fell up to 22 miles away. Sixteen people were killed and property damage amounted to $ 70 million.

AT THIS DATE IN 1989: Severe thunderstorms spawned 17 tornadoes in the northeastern United States. A powerful F-4 tornado struck Hamden and New Haven, Connecticut, causing $ 100 million in damage to Hamden and $ 20 million in damage around New Haven. Forty people were injured in the tornado. Seventy people were injured in a tornado that traveled from Watertown to Waterbury, Connecticut, and another F-4 tornado touched down near Ames, New York, injuring 20 people along its 43rd track, 5 miles. It is the strongest tornado on record in eastern New York State.

BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest current and weather forecasts for Dauphin Island beaches in Panama City Beach, Florida on our Beach Forecast Center page. There you can select the forecast for the region you are interested in.

For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.