James Spann: Record November heat possible in Alabama today, but it won’t last long from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

RECORDS GALORE: Yesterday’s official high at Birmingham was 87 degrees; that tied the record for Oct. 31. The last time it was that warm on Halloween was in 1984. New records were set yesterday at Anniston with 87 (the old record was 86 in 1961), Tuscaloosa with 88 (old record was 87 in 1961) and Montgomery with 89 (old record was 88 in 1984).

We have just wrapped up the warmest October on record; we will have the final stats later today.

We should also mention there was no measurable rain for Birmingham during the entire month; we had just a trace of rain on Oct. 16. It is the third time on record for no rain in October; it also happened in 1924 and 1901.

Today will be the 44th consecutive day without rain for Birmingham; the record streak is 52 days set in 1924.

Also, for many Alabama communities today will be the warmest November day on record as the new month begins. We project a high between 86 and 89 today; Birmingham’s record high today is 85, set in 2000.

The warmth is a product of a persistent upper ridge and the absolute lack of soil moisture. The sun doesn’t have to work on evaporating soil moisture; all of the energy goes to heating the ground, which in turn heats the air. Droughts and heat waves go together like peanut butter and jelly. We could be well above 100 degrees if this was happening in July or August.

After today, temperatures back off slowly through midweek; we expect a high in the mid 80s tomorrow, and low 80s Thursday.

BIG COOL-DOWN LATER THIS WEEK: A surface front will pass through Alabama Thursday night; we will mention a few widely scattered showers along the front, mainly for the Tennessee Valley of far North Alabama. Nothing really meaningful, and places to the south like Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden probably won’t get a drop.

But expect a big change to cool weather Friday. We won’t get past the mid 60s despite sunshine in full force, and a cool northeast wind of 10-20 mph will make it feel cooler.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Perfect fall weather. Sunny, pleasant days and clear, chilly nights. Expect upper 60s Saturday and low 70s Sunday. Colder pockets will drop into the 30s early Saturday and Sunday morning with potential for frost.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For round one of the high school playoff games Friday night, the weather will be clear and very cool, with temperatures falling through the 50s; some stadiums could be in the 40s by the fourth quarter. You will need a jacket.

Auburn will host Vanderbilt Saturday (11 a.m. kickoff). It will be a perfect day for football, with a sunny sky. Temperatures will climb from 64 at kickoff to near 70 by the fourth quarter.

Alabama will be on the road, playing LSU Saturday night (7 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be clear, with temperatures falling through the 60s. A great night for football.

NEXT WEEK: The first half of the week looks dry, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s; the latest GFS run shows a good rain event at the end of the week, but the European (ECMWF) shows nothing. Just too early to know.

LONG RANGE: Signs of a pattern flip remain strong at mid-month, with the upper ridge fading away, opening the door for frequent rain-producing systems. The European ensemble guidance still suggests potential for more than 5 inches of rain from mid-November through mid-December. Let’s hope that verifies.

AT THE BEACH: Sunny days, fair nights on the coast from Panama City Beach to Gulf Shores through early next week; highs in the low 80s through Thursday, then dropping into the 70s Friday and over the weekend. See a detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains quiet, and tropical storm formation is not expected this week. The season ends at the end of this month.

WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute netcast anytime on the web, or on iTunes. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including meteorologists at ABC 33/40. We will produce this week’s show tonight at 8:30. You can watch it live here.

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