BLUE SKY: With a cloudless sky, temperatures are mostly in the 50s at mid-afternoon. Tonight will be clear and cold; most locations will see a low between 30 and 35 degrees. Wednesday will be another cool, dry day with a high in the 50s and a good supply of sunshine. Clouds will increase Wednesday night, however, ahead of the next storm system.

SOAKING RAIN: Rain becomes widespread across Alabama Thursday afternoon and Thursday night. With good dynamic support, the rain could be heavy at times; amounts of 2-3 inches are likely for the northern half of the state, with 1-2 inches for the southern counties. A flash flood watch could be required for parts of the state.

The Storm Prediction Center maintains a marginal risk of severe storms for southwest Alabama Thursday afternoon and Thursday night; a few storms there could produce strong, gusty winds. But for most of the state, it will be just a big rain event in a stable air mass. The high Thursday will be at or just over 60 degrees for most communities over north Alabama, with mid 60s for the southern part of the state.

The unsettled weather continues Friday with occasional rain and possibly a thunderstorm — not an all day rain, however. And we don’t expect any severe storms.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A deep upper low will move over north Alabama Saturday; the day will be cloudy and much colder, with temperatures in the 40s all day. There could be some patchy light rain or drizzle, and maybe even a snow flake over the Tennessee Valley because of very cold air aloft. The sky will clear Saturday night, and we drop below freezing early Sunday with low temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. On Sunday, sunshine returns in full force with a high in the low to mid 50s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be cool and dry, but rain will return to Alabama at some point Tuesday or Wednesday. There is still considerable model uncertainty in terms of timing and dynamic support. Colder air moves in for the latter half of the week.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For Wednesday’s Outback Bowl in Tampa (Auburn vs. Minnesota; kickoff at noon Central Time), the sky will be sunny with temperatures rising from the mid 60s at kickoff into the upper 60s by the second half. The weather will be very similar for the Citrus Bowl in Orlando Wednesday (Alabama vs. Michigan; kickoff at noon Central Time) — a clear sky with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.

For the Birmingham Bowl Thursday (Cincinnati vs. Boston College; 2 p.m. kickoff), the sky will be cloudy with rain likely throughout the game. We’re not expecting any thunder and lightning, and there is no severe weather risk. Temperatures will hover in the 54- to 58-degree range.

ON THIS DATE IN 1967: The 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, played on Dec. 31 at Lambeau Field, is known as the Ice Bowl, arguably one of the greatest games in NFL history. The game was played in brutal cold and windy conditions. The kickoff temperature in Green Bay was minus 13 degrees, with a wind chill of 36 below zero. Temperatures were so cold, in fact, that referees had to shout signals so that the metal whistles wouldn’t stick to their lips. Even so, nearly 51,000 fans watched the coldest game in league annals.

Several players were treated for frostbite and a fan in the stands died of exposure to the cold. Bart Starr, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback, scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining, clinching a third straight NFL Championship for the Packers.

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