SEVERE CLEAR: There’s not a cloud in the sky over Alabama this afternoon; temperatures are mostly in the 45- to 52-degree range. Tonight will be clear and not as cold as last night. Lows early Thursday will be mostly between 25 and 32.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Clouds move back into the state Thursday ahead of a wave in the Gulf of Mexico, and light rain is likely by mid to late afternoon and Thursday night over the southern two-thirds of the state. The best chance of rain will be south of I-59 (Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Gadsden), and amounts should be one-quarter inch or less for most places. Thursday’s high will be in the upper 40s.

Lingering rain is possible during the day Friday, mostly over southeast Alabama. For the rest of the state the sky will be mostly cloudy, although some clearing is likely over the western counties by afternoon. Friday’s high will be close to 50.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Expect dry weather with sunny, cool days and clear, cold nights. Early morning lows will be generally in the 30s, with 20s for colder pockets. The high will be in the mid 50s Saturday and between 57 and 61 degrees Sunday afternoon.

NEXT WEEK: The week looks quiet with mostly dry conditions and seasonal temperatures. Some light rain is possible Monday near the immediate Gulf Coast with another wave passing by in the Gulf of Mexico. Global models hint the next chance of rain statewide could come around Saturday, Nov. 23, with a cold front.

RECORD COLD: Here are the official lows across Alabama this morning that established new daily records:

• Birmingham — 19 (old record was 22, set in 1911)
• Anniston — 20 (old record was 24, set in 1968)
• Tuscaloosa — 21 (old record was 22, set in 1968)
• Mobile — 26 (old record was 31, set in 1911)

The coldest spot in the state was Hamilton with 13 degrees.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school playoff games Friday night, the weather will be clear and cold with temperatures in the 40s.

Saturday, Auburn hosts Georgia (2:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be sunny with a kickoff temperature near 56 degrees, falling to near 50 by the final whistle.

Alabama travels to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11 a.m. kickoff). Sunny weather is expected with temperatures rising from near 52 at kickoff into the mid 50s by the fourth quarter.

UAB hosts UTEP at Legion Field Saturday afternoon (noon kickoff). A sunny sky is forecast with temperatures rising from 53 at kickoff to near 56 by the end of the game.

ON THIS DATE IN 1946: General Electric scientists produced snow in the Massachusetts Berkshires in the first modern-day cloud seeding experiment. Scientist Vincent Schaefer dropped six pounds of dry ice pellets into a cloud over Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The experiment produced snowfall, as a 4-mile-long cloud was converted into snow flurries. The success of the experiment became the basis of many weather modification projects.

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