COOL OCTOBER DAY: The average high for Birmingham on Oct. 23 is 74 degrees; we are way below that this afternoon with temperatures only in the upper 50s and low 60s in most spots. Clouds linger over parts of the state under a deep upper trough moving through, but the sky becomes clear tonight.

TOMORROW THROUGH FRIDAY: We are forecasting sunny, cool days and and clear, chilly nights. Highs will be generally in the 60s, with lows in the 40s. However, colder places will reach the 30s on some mornings. The coldest morning should be early Thursday with a clear sky and light winds; colder valleys and protected areas have a good chance of seeing frost.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Even colder air invades the state Saturday. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and we will need to mention a chance of rain at times along the front. It won’t rain all day, and rain amounts should be generally one-half inch or less for most communities. But if you have something planned outdoors, understand the day will be wet at times and blustery, with a gusty northwest wind and temperatures holding in the 50s. Some places north of Birmingham could very well hold in the 40s, making it feel more like January instead of October.

Sunday will be sunny but very cool; we start the day with temperatures in the 30s, and the high Sunday afternoon will be close to 60 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: Sure looks like a decent part of north and central Alabama will experience their first freeze of the season Monday morning with lows between 28 and 34 degrees and widespread frost. The average date of the first autumn freeze in Birmingham is Nov. 9, so it looks like it happens this year about 10 days early.

The rest of the week looks cool and dry with only a slow warming trend.

TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin now, but the National Hurricane Center suggests a tropical low could form in the western Caribbean late this week. If something does happen to form there, it should move east/northeast and most likely won’t be an issue for the Gulf of Mexico.

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For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.