FINE FALL DAY: With a good supply of sunshine, temperatures are in the upper 60s and low 70s across much of north and central Alabama this afternoon. Tonight will be fair and cool, with a low in the mid to upper 50s early Friday morning.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Friday will be dry, but clouds begin to move in during the afternoon ahead of the next wave to the west. We will mention a chance of light rain at times Saturday, but it certainly won’t rain all day, and rain amounts for most places will be less than a quarter of an inch. Otherwise, Saturday will be cloudy and cool, with temperatures in the 60s. The sky will clear Saturday night, and sunshine returns in full force Sunday. Sunday morning will be very cool, with a low between 40 and 44; the high Sunday afternoon will be in the mid 60s, about 10 degrees below average for mid to late October in Alabama.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games Friday night, no rain is expected, but the sky will be mostly cloudy with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.

On Saturday, Auburn visits Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels (11 a.m. kickoff). There’s just a small risk of a shower early in the game; otherwise a clearing sky is expected. Temperatures will rise from near 60 at kickoff into the mid 60s by the final whistle.

Alabama heads to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (2:30 p.m. kickoff). There’s a small risk of a little light rain early in the game; otherwise it will be mostly cloudy and cool. The temperature will be near 62 degrees at kickoff, falling into the 50s by the fourth quarter.

Saturday is homecoming day for UAB; the Blazers take on North Texas at Legion Field (6:30 p.m. kickoff). We expect a clearing sky over Birmingham with temperatures falling from the low 60s at kickoff into the 50s by halftime.

NEXT WEEK: We are still expecting some 30s across colder valleys of North Alabama early Monday morning for the first time this season; most communities will see a low between 38 and 43. The weather stays dry through Wednesday, but rain will return Thursday and Thursday night.

TROPICS: All is quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the weekend.

ON THIS DATE IN 2005: Wilma became a hurricane over the Caribbean; it would go on to become a category five hurricane within 24 hours with winds of 185 mph. Wilma made several landfalls, with the most destructive effects felt in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Cuba and Florida. At least 62 deaths were reported and damage totaled $27.4 billion, of which $19 billion occurred in the United States. After Wilma, no other major hurricane made landfall in the contiguous United States until Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southern Texas on Aug. 26, 2017, ending a record period of 11 years, 10 months.

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