Showers and thunderstorms moving in from the north this week will likely send picnickers packing, along with triple-digit temperatures.

Meteorologist Gary Goggins of the National Weather Service in Calera said a weak cold front is expected to sweep down across southern Tennessee and Arkansas and reach to the Carolinas, bringing with it rain starting Tuesday.

“We don’t see weak cold fronts very often in the Southeast during the summertime,” Goggins said. “The good news is we need the rain.”

Goggins said the increase in showers and storms in much of central Alabama will likely produce cooler temperatures in the area through Thursday, with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s during the afternoon hours each day.

“The front will eventually diminish, and we’ll just have a nice tropical air mass still in place,” Goggins said. “Right now, conditions are very dry, so we’re not anticipating any widespread flooding issues. We could see some localized flooding.”

Goggins said localized flooding could occur when small creeks and streams briefly overflow their banks.

As the rains begin to taper off Friday and Saturday, warmer temperatures are expected to return.

For the Birmingham area, the normal high is 91 this week each year. For the Montgomery area, the normal high is 92, Goggins said.