Thick smoke begins clearing from Alabama's sky Tuesday with hotter air and some storms following

FIRST, THIS IS WVTM. 13 WEATHER. WELL, THE SKY IS STILL SMOKY OVER THE MAGIC CITY TONIGHT. AS THE SUN WENT DOWN, IT HAD THAT REDDISH SHADE TO IT. AND NOW VISIBILITY IS STILL REDUCED. BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS, WE WILL SEE THE SMOKE THINNING OUT. BUT EVEN THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING, AIR QUALITY IS STILL IN THE POOR REGION. POOR CATEGORY AROUND JEFFERSON AND SHELBY COUNTIES, SAINT CLAIR COUNTY, ETOWAH, CALHOUN COUNTIES IN PARTICULAR. THE FARTHER NORTHEAST YOU GO UP TOWARD HUNTSVILLE, JACKSON COUNTY, DEKALB COUNTY, IT’S EVEN WORSE IN SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS BECAUSE OF ALL THAT THICK SMOKE THAT HAS COME SOUTH. BUT THERE IS SOME HELP ON THE HORIZON. ONE DISTURBANCE THAT’S KICKED OFF SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR NORTHWEST EARLIER TODAY IS BEGINNING TO FADE AWAY. SOME OF THOSE HIGH THIN CLOUDS ARE HEADED THIS DIRECTION. BUT THE FACT THAT THIS IS HELPING TO MOVE THE AIR AROUND A LITTLE BIT, IT’S GOING TO PUSH MOST OF THE SMOKE OUT OF NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. AND WE’LL DRAW A LINE HERE FROM ROUGHLY ABOUT ANNISTON TO CLANTON TO NEAR DEMOPOLIS, NORTH OF THAT LINE, INCLUDING TUSCOLA, BIRMINGHAM, CULLMAN, JASPER HAMILTON. WE WILL START TO SEE THE SKY BECOMING A BIT MORE BLUE IN THE AFTERNOON. BUT TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS LINE, EAST AND SOUTH, STAYING PRETTY SMOKY, ESPECIALLY DOWN TOWARD MONTGOMERY AND OVER TOWARD ATLANTA. SO IF YOU HAVE PLANS TO TRAVEL TO THE SOUTH OR TO THE EAST TOMORROW AND YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO POOR AIR QUALITY, IT’S GOING TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED AROUND HERE TODAY. NEXT, DISTURBANCE IN LINE STARTS TO KICK OFF SOME STORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST TENNESSEE AS EARLY AS 11:00 IN THE MORNING. AND THEN LOOK AT THIS BY 5:00 TOMORROW AFTERNOON, WE’VE GOT SOME PRETTY RAUCOUS STORMS AROUND DECATUR, ATHENS, MOULTON, RUSSELLVILLE UP TO THE SHOALS. THOSE WILL COME SOUTH THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING AND THEY COULD BE NEAR BIRMINGHAM AS EARLY AS 7 OR 8:00. BUT BY THE TIME THEY GET SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20, THEY SHOULD START TO FIZZLE OUT VERY, VERY QUICKLY. SO DON’T COUNT ON RAIN TOMORROW. JUST KNOW THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE WITH SOME OF YOUR EVENING PLANS IF THOSE STORMS MAKE IT AS FAR SOUTH AS BIRMINGHAM. AND AT THIS POINT, IT’S A PRETTY BIG IF FOR MOST OF JEFFERSON AND SHELBY COUNTIES MID-NINETIES TOMORROW, A HEAT INDEX CLOSE TO 100 DEGREES ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WE’RE TALKING 96 IN BIRMINGHAM AFTER A MORNING LOW AT 73, THE WIND WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE NORTHWEST STARTING OUT IN THE MID 90S WITH A CLEARER SKY. AND LOOK AT THAT WHEN WE ADD THE HUMIDITY, HUMIDITY TO IT, THE HEAT INDEX GETS UP AROUND 105IN TUSCALOOSA, 101 AT TALLADEGA, 102 IN BIRMINGHAM. THE BEST CHANCE OF A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM WOULD BE NORTH OF THE BIRMINGHAM AREA. THEN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL START TO DRY OUT SOME A FEW ISOLATED STORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE. VERY HOT HIGHS IN THE UPPER 90S. COLD FRONT HITS ON FRIDAY AND HELPS TO KNOCK THE HEAT DOWN A BIT GOIN