BIG SOAKING: As forecast, rain has been widespread across Alabama today with gusty south winds. Most places are reporting around 1.5 inches of rain so far, and we have a few flash flood warnings for counties in southwest Alabama. There is still some risk of a few strong to severe thunderstorms near the Gulf Coast through the evening.

Rain will end from west to east tonight, and colder air rushes into the state after midnight. We could see a few light snow flurries in the colder air late tonight, but there will be no impact or accumulation.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: The sky becomes partly to mostly sunny Thursday with a high in the 45- to 49-degree range. Another cold front will pass through Thursday night, and Friday will be sunny and colder, with a high between 39 and 43. There could be a snow flake or two with that secondary front late Thursday night, but the air will be dry and no significant precipitation is expected.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday morning will be cold, with a low between 18 and 24; then we rise into the low 50s Saturday afternoon with a mostly sunny sky. The weather stays dry Sunday; the sky will be partly sunny with a high in the mid 50s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be dry and pleasant with a high between 55 and 60, but an Arctic cold front arrives Tuesday with some light rain and falling temperatures. There is a chance the light rain could end as light snow or snow flurries, but for now it looks like the precipitation probably won’t be a high-impact type event. Very cold air settles into the Deep South through midweek; Wednesday and Thursday will be dry but very chilly. On Wednesday, we’ll struggle to get out of the 30s, and early morning lows will reach the teens across parts of north Alabama.

ON THIS DATE IN 2012: An EF-3 tornado tore through Tarrant, Center Point, Clay and Argo during the pre-dawn hours. A 16-year-old girl was killed in Clay. The tornado damage path was approximately 15.5 miles long and was 880 yards wide at its widest point. Another tornado (an EF-2) touched down at Oak Grove, in western Jefferson County, killing one person.

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