COOL DAYS, CHILLY NIGHTS: A dry, stable airmass is in place across Alabama this afternoon, with temperatures in the low 50s in most places. Tonight will be fair and cold; we project a low in the 29- to 32-degree range early tomorrow, our first freeze since Jan. 9.

TOMORROW THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Dry, cool weather continues tomorrow and Saturday, with partly to mostly sunny days. Afternoon highs will be somewhere between 48 and 53 degrees, and the low early Saturday will be close to 30. There will be some increase in clouds Sunday over the northern counties of Alabama, and a few sprinkles or patches of light rain are possible by late afternoon ahead of a cold front, but the air will be dry, and most of the state will remain rain-free. Sunday’s high will be in the upper 40s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be cold and dry with a high in the upper 40s; then we warm back into the 50s each day for the rest of the week. While moisture will rise a bit by midweek, the chance of significant rain looks fairly low for now.

DROUGHT UPDATE: As expected, the new Drought Monitor released this morning shows a big improvement across Alabama.

Some precipitation amounts, in inches, for Central Alabama, Jan. 1-18:

• Birmingham — 6.71
• Montgomery — 10.86
• Anniston — 7.55
• Tuscaloosa — 7.20
• Calera… 6.94
• Troy — 13.38

Normal precipitation expected, in inches, and departure from normal, Jan. 1-18:

• Birmingham — 3.85 (+2.86)
• Montgomery — 3.62 (+7.24)
• Anniston — 3.54 (+4.01)
• Tuscaloosa — 4.17 (+3.03)
• Calera — 4.18 (+2.76)
• Troy — 3.56 (+9.82)

As always, watch me for the full weather story on ABC 33/40 News this evening at 4, 5, 6 and 10.

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