James Spann: Alabama to get warmer after chilly Wednesday morning, storms in weekend forecast from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

FRIGID MORNING: Here are some temperatures across the state just before sunrise…

Cullman 18
Russellville 18
Haleyville 18
Fort Payne 18
Pell City 19
Valley Head 19
Gadsden 19
Black Creek 19
Hueytown 21
Arley 21
Millport 21
Anniston 22
Bessemer 23
Heflin 23
Thorsby 24
Tuscaloosa 26

The good news is that a warming trend begins this afternoon; we expect a high around 50 degrees with a sunny sky and light wind. Tonight won’t be as cold as recent nights; most places drop into the mid to upper 30s early tomorrow, although some of the colder spots could see another freeze.

TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Clouds will increase tomorrow, and we will mention just a few isolated showers during the afternoon hours, mainly over the northwest counties of the state. Then, Friday will be mostly cloudy day with showers over the northern counties of Alabama. The high tomorrow will be in the 57-60 degree range, and we rise into the mid to upper 60s Friday as the warming trend continues.

TO THE WEST: SPC has much of Arkansas and some of the surrounding states in the standard “slight risk” of severe storms Friday afternoon and Friday night in their “Day 3” outlook… a “marginal risk” extends into Southwest Alabama. Keep in mind this outlook runs through 6:00 a.m. Saturday.

STORMY SATURDAY: A large mass of rain and storms will move into Alabama Saturday ahead of a fairly vigorous system that will feature a deep surface low over Missouri, supported by a strong upper trough. For now, SPC does not have any part of Alabama in a risk on their “Day 4” outlook for Saturday, but there is no doubt we could see a few strong storms during the day thanks to the dynamics involved. Hopefully the storms will move in early in the day, preventing the air from becoming too unstable and mitigating the overall severe weather threat. But, we will monitor conditions closely as we get closer to the weekend.

One way or another Saturday will be wet and stormy at times with a high around 70 degrees. The rain should end from west to east late in the day. Rain amounts of around one inch are likely.

Sunday looks like a very nice day; with a partly sunny sky we rise into the 70-74 degree range.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Saturday’s SEC title game between Alabama and Georgia (3:00p CT kickoff) will be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (in the dome); for those walking to the game rain and thunderstorms are likely in Atlanta with temperatures in the 60s. The rain should end Saturday evening, around the time the game wraps up.

UAB will take on Middle Tennessee State in the C-USA Championship game in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Saturday (12:30p CT kickoff)… rain and thunderstorms are likely during the game with temperatures around 60 degrees. The rain could be heavy at times.

Jacksonville State travels to Orono Maine to take on the Maine Black Bears Saturday (11a CT kickoff)… the sky will partly sunny with 29 degrees at kickoff, rising into the mid 30s by the fourth quarter.

NEXT WEEK: The next wave will bring rain and a few storms to Alabama Monday and Monday night; at the moment this doesn’t look like a severe weather setup. The rain ends early Tuesday, and more cold air rolls into the state for the latter half of the week. See the Weather Xtreme video for maps, graphics, and more details.

TROPICS: The Atlantic basin remains quiet, and the 2018 hurricane season ends Friday.

ON THIS DATE IN 1988: Seven tornadoes touched down during the pre-dawn hours on November 28, 1988 in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. One of the tornadoes moved through parts of Raleigh, and produced over $77 million in damage, along with four fatalities (two in the city of Raleigh, and two in Nash County) and 154 injuries. The damage path from the storm was measured at 84 miles long.

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