STILL WET: A deep upper trough over Texas will push a large mass of rain over Alabama tonight; additional amounts of around 1 inch are likely before it tapers off Friday morning. The air remains stable, so there will be no worries with severe thunderstorms, and most won’t hear any thunder. Clouds linger through the day Friday with a high in the 50s.

The National Weather Service continues a flash flood watch for Sumter, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Choctaw, Clarke and Washington counties in west Alabama.

The sky will clear Friday night as dry air returns to the state.

BRIGHTER WEEKEND: No rain for the weekend for a change. We will enjoy sunshine in full supply Saturday and Sunday; the high Saturday will be in the 55- to 60-degree range, followed by mid to upper 60s Sunday. Morning lows will be generally in the 30s.

NEXT WEEK: Most of next week will be dry as well. We will mention a chance of widely scattered showers Monday night with a cold front passing through, but with limited moisture rain amounts, if any, will be light and spotty. Highs will be in the 60s Monday and Tuesday, and in the 50s Wednesday through Friday. There’s no sign of any bitterly cold air for the Deep South for the next 10-15 days.

LOOKING BACK AT 2018: Birmingham’s rain total for the year was 61.09 inches. That is the 27th wettest year on record since 1890. Our wettest year on record is 1929, when the total was 81.82 inches.

ON THIS DATE IN 1949: During the late afternoon, an estimated F4 tornado destroyed the town of Warren, Arkansas. This tornado killed 55 people and injured more than 250 others. The destruction of the Bradley mill displaced 1,000 employees.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For fans headed to the San Francisco Bay area for Monday night’s national championship game between Alabama and Clemson, the weather will be unsettled this weekend. Saturday looks like the wettest day; it will be wet and breezy most of the day. Showers become more widely scattered Sunday. For the game Monday night, we will mention just an outside risk of a shower with temperatures in the 50s.

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