It’s Thursday, and it may be rough in more ways than one…

Weather: Severe storms possible. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has forecast a slight risk of severe weather for nearly all of Alabama for today, with the rough weather expected to hit later tonight. The line of storms is expected to reach greater Birmingham between 9 and 11 p.m., with strong thunderstorms as the main problem with damaging straight-line winds; some tornadoes could form along the line, but they are not likely. For the daytime hours, it will be cloudy and windy with highs reaching near record levels in the middle 70s, and wind gusts up to 30 m.p.h., with drizzle and patchy fog possible early in the day. Lows tonight will drop quickly as the front passes through, and will fall to the lower 40s. We’ll see sunny skies on Friday with highs in the lower 60s.

Annexation announcement expected this morning. Gardendale officials are expected to announce the results of their efforts to form a compromise to allow schoolchildren living in Mt. Olive to attend the new Gardendale school system without annexation. Mayor Othell Phillips and council president Stan Hogeland have been working with the local members of the state legislature, trying to work out a compromise that would also pass legal muster and get a thumbs-up from the Alabama Board of Education. We’re looking for an announcement shortly after 7 a.m., and we’ll have it here at njeffersonnews.com.

You didn’t win. Unless you went to California to buy your ticket, you did not hit the $425 million grand prize in Wednesday’s Powerball lottery drawing. The winning ticket was sold at a Chevron station in Milpitas. But you have another chance to make the quick drive to Tennessee or Georgia, as the Megamillions jackpot for Friday is up to $172 million. The numbers: 1, 17, 35, 49 and 54, and the Powerball was 34. (If you matched the five white-ball numbers, you still win $1 million, or $3 million if you played the PowerPlay option.)

Sports: Next step for Locust Fork girls hoops. The Hornets take on Priceville this morning in the semifinals of the Class 4A girls regional basketball playoffs. Tipoff is at 9 a.m. at Wallace State-Hanceville, and we’ll have full coverage… Olympics: Border battle on ice. The U.S. women’s hockey team takes on arch-rival Canada in the gold medal game this morning, with an 11 a.m. face-off in Sochi. In preliminary-round play, the Canadians beat the Americans 3-2. (TV: NBC-13)