Isolated severe storms are in the forecast for a large part of Alabama on Thursday.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has a Level 1 out of 5 risk — or marginal risk — in place for coastal Alabama today, and then a large part of the state on Thursday.

A Level 1 risk means that isolated severe storms will be possible. Damaging straight-line winds and a tornado will be possible with the strongest storms, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms will be possible from early Thursday morning in southwest Alabama. Central Alabama could see storms starting before lunchtime. Storm chances are expected to linger into the evening hours.

The weather service will be watching a low pressure system move toward Alabama from the Gulf of Mexico. That system had generated speculation early on about trying to organize into a tropical entity, however that has been all but ruled out as of Wednesday.

However, it is substantial enough to generate high surf of 5 to 7 feet and a high risk of rip currents along Alabama’s coastal areas as well as the northwest Florida Panhandle.

Rip currents are the deadliest weather hazard for the areas covered by the weather service in Mobile, surpassing hurricanes and tornadoes combined.

The system is expected to lift northward from the Gulf over Alabama. That is expected to spread rain and storms across the state, starting late tonight into Thursday morning in south Alabama and progressing northward through the day.

The weather service said there is expected to be just enough wind shear and instability over south and parts of eastern Alabama to produce isolated strong storms.

Rain chances for Alabama — especially eastern Alabama — could linger into the day on Friday as the low pressure system tracks off to the north and east of the state, the weather service said.

Look for rain and storm chances to climb again on Saturday as another system approaches Alabama from the west, forecasters said.

So far Alabama is not expected to see any severe storms from the weekend system.