CLEARING: The sky is clearing nicely over the northern half of Alabama this afternoon. Temperatures are mostly in the 50s, right at seasonal averages for late January. Clouds over south Alabama should dissipate this evening. Tonight will be mostly fair with a low in the 30s.

Tuesday will be dry; with a partly sunny sky the high will be in the mid to upper 50s. Clouds will increase Tuesday night.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: The next wave in the fast flow across the contiguous U.S. will bring periods of light rain Wednesday; the high will be in the low 50s. There will be no risk of severe storms, and no thunder for the northern half of the state. Then, after a cool, dry day Thursday, the next wave brings more rain at times Friday. Rain totals Wednesday through Friday will be around one-half inch for most of the state.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday looks generally dry, although an upper trough could bring a few showers to the Tennessee Valley of far north Alabama during the afternoon. And, Sunday looks rain-free with a partly sunny sky. Highs over the weekend will remain mostly in the 50s, although the southern counties of the state will see low 60s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look dry with highs in the 58- to 64-degree range. It seems like the next chance of rain comes Wednesday or Thursday.

ON THIS DATE IN 2014: On the evening blog discussion, I wrote this: “Snow will begin tomorrow morning over North Alabama, but it will be light. There is a good chance you will see snow in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden, but it should be light, and significant accumulation is not expected. No major travel issues are expected in these areas despite the snow.” The following day, Jan. 28, 2014, brought a major surprise. More about that on Tuesday.

STORM SPOTTER TRAINING: Our annual storm spotter training is Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Hoover Met. It begins at 9:30. There is no cost and no need to register; just show up with a curious mind. We need more trained storm spotters. Help us make the warning process better.

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