The week ahead: storms between the sunshine.

Happy Monday, folks. We are starting off the week with some great, sunny weather. Don't worry- rain is still in the forecast and we still need it here in the Tennessee Valley, despite last weekend's storms. We'll get some more rain in the bucket by midweek. Until then, hot and dry conditions continue.

Clouds will increase throughout the day Tuesday, as our next weather maker approaches from the northwest. This front will bring along with it a chance for showers and thunderstorms beginning Wednesday morning, and continuing through Thursday.

I can't rule out a strong storm or two at this time, but I think most storms stay below severe limits. Expect heavy rain and frequent lightning.

Midweek rain leaves behind sunshine in its wake, with a fantastic weekend forecast in store for the Tennessee Valley. Sunshine Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We could squeeze out a storm or two Sunday afternoon, but the weekend is looking mainly dry.

We are also keeping our eye on a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. At this time, the disturbance has a 0% chance of development in the next 48 hours, and a 30% chance of development within the next five days. The disturbance will slowly move westward toward the Texas coast and try to pull itself together by the weekend, but for now, the likelihood remains low.