COOL DECEMBER AFTERNOON: With a partly sunny sky, temperatures are generally in the mid to upper 50s over north and central Alabama this afternoon. We are seeing 60s over south Alabama. Clouds will thicken tonight ahead of a low pressure area in the Gulf of Mexico.

WET WEEKEND: Rain begins over south Alabama Saturday morning and will spread northward during the day. It will be widespread statewide Saturday night into Sunday. The rain could be heavy at times over the southern half of the state, where 2 to 4 inches is likely. Amounts for places like Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden will be in the 1- to 2-inch range, with totals closer to one-half inch over far north Alabama. The air will be cool and stable, with no risk of severe storms and probably very little thunder.

CHRISTMAS WEEK: Some rain could linger over east Alabama Monday morning; otherwise the sky will clear Monday with a high around 60 degrees. Then, dry and very pleasant weather is the story for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Tuesday and Wednesday; expect a good supply of sunshine both days with highs well up in the 60s. Some moisture will increase late in the week; there is very little model agreement in terms of when rain will return, so forecast confidence is low with the next wet weather event. Most likely it comes over the following weekend, Dec. 28-29.

WINTER BEGINS: The winter solstice is technically not a full calendar day but an exact moment in time. It occurs when Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun, bringing us our shortest daylight period and the lowest sun angle of the year. The sun appears directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, a line of latitude 23.5 degrees south of Earth’s equator that passes through South America, southern Africa and Australia. The winter solstice this year is Saturday night at 10:19 Central Time. The amount of daylight will increase each day beginning Sunday until the summer solstice in June.

ON THIS DATE IN 1836: A famous “sudden freeze” occurred in central Illinois. A cold front with 70 mph winds swept through around noon, dropping the temperature from 40 degrees to near zero in a matter of minutes. Many settlers froze to death. Folklore told of chickens frozen in their tracks and men frozen to saddles. Ice in streams reportedly froze to 6 inches in a few hours.

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