BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON: We are enjoying a sunny, mild afternoon across Alabama today with temperatures generally in the 69- to 74-degree range. Don’t look for much change Wednesday; dry air means a good supply of sunshine with a mild afternoon. The high will be between 72 and 75 degrees. It will most likely be our warmest day out of the next 10.

Clouds return Thursday ahead of a cold front, and rain is a good possibility Thursday afternoon and Thursday night. New guidance suggests the main chance of rain will come from 3 p.m. Thursday until 3 a.m. Friday, and rain amounts should be less than one-half inch as moisture will be pretty limited. There will be no severe storms and probably no thunder. The high Thursday will be in the upper 60s.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Noticeably colder air rolls into Alabama Friday. Look for a clearing sky; the high will be only in the low 50s with a brisk northwest wind. Saturday and Sunday will feature sunshine in full supply both days; the high will be near 60 Saturday, followed by mid 60s Sunday. The early morning low will be close to the freezing mark Saturday and in the mid to upper 30s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: Another surge of cold air rolls into Alabama Monday; it should be the coldest air so far this season. With a mix of sun and clouds, we will struggle to reach the low 50s. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather will be dry and cold, with highs only in the 40s and lows in the 20s. Dry weather continues through the rest of the week with only a slow warming trend.

There is no sign of any severe weather issues for Alabama through mid-November as temperatures should remain below average, meaning a stable air mass.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: It will be clear and cold for the high school games Friday night, with temperatures falling through the 40s.

Alabama hosts LSU Saturday in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The weather could not be any better for the biggest college game of the year — a sunny sky, with temperatures falling from near 61 at kickoff into the mid 50s by the final whistle. Sunset Saturday in Tuscaloosa comes at 4:52 p.m., so the fourth quarter will be played under the lights.

UAB will host Southern Miss at Legion Field Saturday (2:30 p.m. kickoff). Expect clear weather for the game with temperatures falling from near 60 at kickoff into the mid 50s by the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville State will take on Tennessee Tech Saturday (kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Central) in Cookeville; the sky will be sunny with temperatures in the 55- to 60-degree range during the game.

ON THIS DATE IN 1894: A significant snowstorm hit New England on Nov. 5-6. It formed off the New Jersey coast and passed east of Connecticut with rapidly increasing heavy rain and snow, along with high winds. This caused significant damage to trees and brought down telegraph poles by the hundreds. The telegraph and telephone service in all southern New England was crippled, and fallen poles and trees delayed railroad trains.

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