Sun and clouds today. Rain chances increase through the rest of the week.

Cumulus clouds are bubbling up across the skies in the heat of the afternoon on this Monday. Despite this, there's still a good bit of sunshine getting through, and we have warmed areawide into the mid to upper 80s. A few of these clouds are leading to isolated showers over the area, mostly in northwestern Alabama. Most of us across the area stay dry today, but a few showers can't be ruled out.

Any showers across our region end by early evening, with partly cloudy skies carrying into the overnight. We will drop down to the mid to upper 60s by daybreak on Tuesday as clouds increase. We look to warm into the lower 80s by afternoon, with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon and evening hours.

By Wednesday, a cold front will approach the area and then stall out. This will act to increase the chance of showers and thunderstorms across the area for the remainder of the week. No particular day will be a complete washout, but showers and storms will be likely at times, and some of the rainfall could be locally heavy.

In addition, we are watching Tropical Storm Nicholas in the western Gulf. Despite wind shear affecting the system and a lopsided structure with center reformations, Nicholas is making an attempt at strengthening toward minimal hurricane status. Nicholas makes landfall on the Texas coast over the next 12 to 24 hours and then heads northeastward as a remnant circulation toward Louisiana and Mississippi. There is a chance that Nicholas' remnants may help to increase our rain chances toward the end of the week and the weekend, but there is a lot of uncertainty with that idea. It does, however, appear that the track of Nicholas' remnant low may keep any severe weather / tornado threat well south of our area. We are watching closely.