James Spann: The season’s coldest air so far will hit Alabama this weekend from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

COULD THE STREAK BE ENDING? Today will be the 61st consecutive day without measurable rain for Birmingham. We blew past the old record of 52 dry days in a row, set in 1924, earlier this month. Could we get 0.01 inches in the official bucket after midnight tonight and break the streak? Very possible.

Today will be warm and dry with a high between 77 and 80 degrees for most places, along with a partly to mostly sunny sky. And, while we enjoy the November warmth, a blizzard is raging across parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Strong storms will form along the trailing cold front; a “marginal” severe weather risk is defined from near Shreveport to Chicago.

FRIDAY NIGHT FRONT: Clouds move in this evening ahead of the front, and the band of showers will enter the northwest corner of Alabama sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight. Some thunder is possible around Muscle Shoals/Florence, but no severe weather is expected.

Then, after midnight, a weakening band of showers will move down through North Alabama. For most, rain amounts will be less than one-tenth of an inch, so this won’t make a dent in the drought, but there is a good chance it ends the 61-day dry spell at Birmingham. We just need a hundredth of an inch. Most of you will sleep through the showers since they will come from midnight through 6 a.m.

COLDEST AIR SO FAR THIS SEASON: Tomorrow will be a sunny but windy and very cool day with a high in the 50s; a northwest wind of 12-25 mph will make it feel colder. Sunday will also be sunny and cool, with a high in the 50s; not as windy as Saturday.

GROWING SEASON ENDS: We project a low near 31 early Sunday and in the upper 20s Monday; for many North/Central Alabama communities this will be the first freeze of the season.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school football playoff games tonight, rain is possible over the northwest tip of the state. Otherwise, clouds will increase with temperatures in the 60s.

You will need a warm jacket for the college games tomorrow night.

Alabama will host Chattanooga tomorrow night at Bryant-Denny Stadium (6 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from 52 at kickoff to near 40 degrees by the final whistle.

Auburn hosts Alabama A&M tomorrow night at Jordan-Hare Stadium (6:30 p.m. kickoff). Mostly fair, with temperatures falling from the low 50s at kickoff into the low 40s by the fourth quarter.

NEXT WEEK: Global models continue to show a weather system moving into Alabama on Wednesday with a good chance of rain, and maybe even a little thunder. The latest guidance is suggesting rain amounts of one-quarter to one-half inch for the northern half of the state; this should be our best rain event since mid-September.

Thanksgiving Day for now looks dry and pleasant with a high in the 60s. Beyond that, forecast confidence is very low in this active pattern; for the moment, global models look dry for Black Friday and Iron Bowl Saturday, with seasonal temperatures.

AT THE BEACH: Sunny days, fair nights on the coast from Gulf Shores to Panama City Beach through Tuesday. Highs in the 70s today, 60s over the weekend. See a detailed Gulf Coast forecast here.

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