James Spann forecasts a cool start for the Alabama work week from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

LATE-SEASON FREEZE: Temperatures have dropped below freezing over much of north Alabama this morning. Here are some temperatures just before daybreak:

• Black Creek — 26
• Millport — 27
• Fort Payne — 29
• Grayson Valley — 31
• Haleyville — 30
• Gadsden — 32
• Cullman — 32
• Arley — 32
• Decatur — 32
• Birmingham — 33
• Hueytown — 33
• Pell City — 34
• Northport — 35
• Jemison — 36
• Heflin — 36
• Tuscaloosa — 36
• Anniston — 38

There is a decent chance (no promises!) this morning will be the last freeze of the season for most of Alabama as a warmer pattern evolves in coming weeks.

Today will be mostly sunny and cool, with a high in the low 60s for most communities. A wave in the Gulf of Mexico will bring clouds into the state tonight, but the air will be pretty dry and we don’t expect anything more than a few sprinkles over the northern half of the state. Showers are possible across south Alabama tonight — maybe even a thunderstorm near the Gulf Coast.

MIDWEEK: Tuesday will be mostly sunny with a high in the mid 60s; then we rise into the mid 70s Wednesday with a good supply of sunshine. During the day Thursday the weather stays dry and mild with a high in the 70s, but we will bring in a chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday night as an upper trough approaches. The Storm Prediction Center has defined a risk of severe storms west of Alabama, but for now we are not expecting any severe weather in Alabama Thursday night.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Showers and storms should taper off Friday morning, and most of Friday afternoon and Friday night should be dry. Friday’s high will be in the mid 70s. Then, over the weekend, a moist air mass will be in place across Alabama, meaning some risk of at least scattered showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. This certainly doesn’t mean a washout, but a passing storm is a possibility at times both days. The sun could peek out at times, and temperatures will rise into the 77- to 80-degree range — one of our warmest weekends so far this year.

NEXT WEEK: Monday could be fairly stormy with a good chance of showers and storms. Temperatures next week look warm, with potential for 80 degrees on a day or two.

The Climate Prediction Center 6-10 day temperature outlook suggests above-average temperatures for much of the nation through mid-April.

ON THIS DATE IN 1960: The first weather satellite, TIROS 1 (Television and Infra-Red Observation Satellite) began sending pictures back to Earth. The TIROS series would have little benefit to operational weather forecasters because the image quality was low and inconsistent. The most critical understanding achieved from the new technology was the discovery of the high degree of organization of large-scale weather systems, a fact never apparent from ground and aircraft observations.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

WEATHER BRAINS: You can listen to our weekly 90-minute show any time on your favorite podcast app. This is the show all about weather featuring many familiar voices, including the meteorologists at ABC 33/40.

CONNECT: You can find me on all of the major social networks:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Snapchat: spannwx

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