The National Weather Service will be watching for the possibility of a few strong to severe storms in Alabama on Saturday and early Sunday.

It’s not a slam-dunk severe weather forecast, but instead, a low-end risk, according to forecasters. However, be sure and keep an eye on the forecast for the next few days in case that changes.  Areas generally west of the Interstate 65 corridor will be the areas to watch for possible strong storms. They could arrive as soon as Saturday afternoon and then last into Sunday morning.  NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has added a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe weather for the western half of Alabama for Saturday into Sunday.

A Level 1 (or marginal) risk means that isolated severe storms will be possible.  The weather service said the strongest storms could have wind gusts up to 60 mph, and there’s an outside chance of a brief tornado as well.  Winds will shift to out of the south today, warming temperatures some across Alabama and starting to bring more air from the Gulf of Mexico northward over the state. That will continue on Friday, with even warmer temperatures expected.  Then a cold front will approach starting on Saturday, and rain and stronger storms could develop either along it or ahead of it.

On the flip side, the weather service said 1 to 2 inches of rain will be possible as this system moves through, which will help with Alabama’s ongoing drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is scheduled to release its weekly drought report later this morning, but as of last week a sizable part of the state, mainly north and north-central Alabama, was in Level 3 out of 4 (or extreme) drought. Rain over the past week is expected to help ease the drought some but not eliminate it.  The rain is expected to move out during the day on Sunday, and colder air is expected to arrive to start the next work week.

There is no other severe weather risk for Alabama — after Saturday — for the next week.