RADAR CHECK: Scattered areas of rain across Alabama early this morning with temperatures in the 68-73 degree range. Today’s weather will be unsettled with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms. Understand it won’t rain all day, and it won’t rain everywhere. But most places have a good chance of getting some rain today.

SPC maintains a “marginal risk” (level 1/5) of severe thunderstorms for roughly the western half of the state today and early tonight.

Heavier storms today will be capable of producing strong, gusty winds. A brief, isolated tornado is possible, but not likely. Many places will stay in the 70s today due to clouds and rain.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: We will deal with scattered showers and storms tomorrow and Sunday statewide, but they won’t be as numerous as the ones we expect today. Chance of any one spot getting rain both days is 50-60 percent, and most of the showers (but not all) will come from about 2:00 until 10:00 p.m. Otherwise expect a mix of sun and clouds both days with highs in the mid 80s.

Pretty much the same thing on Monday/Memorial Day. Cloudy at times, the risk of a passing shower or storm, highs in the 80s.

REST OF NEXT WEEK: The overall pattern won’t change much as the ocean of humidity continues to cover the Deep South. We will have the risk of scattered showers and storms daily, most active during the afternoon and evening hours. Highs hold in the 80s

MOBILE, Ala. (WSFA) – A Memorial Day staple normally found in downtown Prattville is on the move this year.

The Alabama Poppy Project will set up its field of handmade ceramic poppies at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, surrounding the USS Alabama.

The poppies are meant to honor the men and women who served the country and are no longer living.

“It was really emotionally overwhelming to see the battleship and all of the aircraft and all of the tanks and everything that you can see,” said Julianne Hansen, founder of the Alabama Poppy Project. “It feels kind of like coming home.”

Hansen also emphasized that Memorial Day not only honors those who died in battle, but also those who died while on active duty.

“My stepson did not pass away in battle, but he did pass away while in active duty and he is a gold-star service member and we are a gold-star family,” Hansen said. “We will fight in order to be able to share the messages and the stories of these people who gave so much for the cause of freedom and for their service to our country.”

Hansen said the move to Mobile provides a new opportunity to teach visitors what the memorial poppy symbolizes, even if the display isn’t the main attraction the way it has been in Prattville.

The display will open Friday morning at Battleship Memorial Park at 8 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

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In Alabama, some of the best history lessons come with a side of ribs.

Across the state, family-owned barbecue restaurants have served as gathering places and landmarks for generations, surviving wars, recessions and major cultural shifts by sticking to what they know: slow-cooked food and the communities that grew up around it.

At Bob Sykes Barbecue in Bessemer, the pit has been going since 1957, and owner Van Sykes says the magic isn’t about chasing the latest flavor trend. “The art of barbecue is not in a rub it’s in patience and time,” Sykes said.

Sykes grew up in the restaurant, taking orders as a child at his parents’ drive-in. Many of the familiar touches are still there, including old signs, original recipes and even the pit. “Whatever the world does, we just get up and do what we do every day and that fire has been burning since 1957,” he said.

The restaurant has weathered economic downturns, wars and COVID, and like many family businesses, it has evolved while keeping its roots intact. Sykes said customers often return to the meals they remember from growing up. “They always come back to the food they grew up on I hadn’t even been home yet, I came by here first,” he said.

In Northport, Archibald’s Bar-B-Q has also drawn generations of customers, even with a small building and a simple menu. Locals and visitors still line up for hickory-smoked ribs that have made the restaurant a staple for more than 70 years.

Owner Woodrow Washington III said keeping the business in the family has been central to its longevity. “Grandmother said keep everybody together and keep it in the family so that’s what we’ve done,” Washington said. “This is Archibald senior— started in 1962 myself and my brother we’re the 2nd and 3rd generation.”

In Tuscaloosa, Dreamland Bar-B-Que has become part of Alabama culture, with walls filled with memories tied to football legends, coaches and families who have been coming for decades.

Longtime customer Hugh Heller said the place still tops every barbecue stop he’s tried across the country. “I’ve lived all over the united states this is still my favorite barbecue of all places I’ve ever eaten,” Heller said.

For Heller, it’s also a familiar landmark that’s easy to return to. “I’ve been coming here for years it’s not hard for me to find this spot not this place,” he said.

Through every generation, these barbecue joints have kept the same rhythm: showing up early, tending the fire and serving the communities around them. In a state known for football, music and history, some of Alabama’s most lasting stories are still being told right around the dinner table.