RADAR CHECK: On this mild January afternoon, we have some light rain falling over northwest Alabama.

The showers are ahead of a cold front approaching Alabama from the northwest; showers are likely at times through midnight, with the possibility of a little thunder in a few spots. Moisture is limited, so rain amounts should be pretty light, generally under one-quarter inch for most communities. The rain will sweep out of the state after midnight.

COLDER DAYS: We project dry, cool weather tomorrow through the weekend. Partly to mostly sunny days, fair nights. Highs in the 49- to 53-degree range, with lows between 29 and 33. We should drop below freezing early Friday morning for the first time since Jan. 9. These temperatures are at or slightly below average values in Alabama for late January.

NEXT WEEK: Not much change; dry and cool weather continues for the first half of the week, with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. We have no sign of any high-impact weather event (severe storms, winter mischief, etc.) for the next 10 days across Alabama and the Deep South. Quite frankly, we could use a break, since this month we have dealt with single-digit cold, snow, sleet, freezing rain, severe thunderstorms, flooding, record warmth and 18 tornadoes in our state. The action has been pretty much nonstop.

DROUGHT UPDATE: The new Drought Monitor will be released tomorrow. We expect great improvement over North Alabama thanks to the recent rains. Here is an update from the Birmingham Water Works:

“After receiving more than 6 inches of rain since Jan. 1, 2017, and 3 inches of rain in December 2016, the Birmingham Water Works (BWW) is announcing the return to the Stage-2 ‘Drought Watch Advisory’ phase of its Drought Management Plan (DMP). The lack of rain in the state over the last five months of 2016 forced the BWW to move into higher levels of water restrictions for customers in order for the utility to effectively manage their water resources. Stage-3 ‘Drought Warning’ was announced on Oct. 19, and Stage-4 ‘Extreme Drought Emergency’ was announced on Nov. 4. These advanced stages typically include surcharges for excessive water use after 30 days of announcement of the appropriate drought stage of the DMP. The current drought was so significant that the BWW had to move to the next higher stage of the DMP before surcharges were enforced from the previous stage. The December rains came at the best possible time and resulted in the BWW not collecting any surcharge fees for excessive water use.”

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