VERY NICE SATURDAY: A high will begin to form over the North Carolina coast that will begin to pull warmer, moist air up from the Gulf into Alabama, but we will stay dry. Skies will be mainly sunny through much of the day, but clouds will make a return late. A stray shower or two may move into extreme southern Alabama before daybreak Sunday, but that is not likely at this point. Afternoon highs will be in the mid-50s to the lower 60s.

A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE SUNDAY: The high will be off to our east on Sunday, and a low will form off to the west over northwest Texas. That will continue the flow of warmer, moist air from the Gulf into Alabama. We’ll have mainly cloudy skies for much of the state, with a small chance of rain for the southern two-thirds. Highs will be in the upper 50s to the lower 60s.

MONDAY: A cold front forms from a low that will move rapidly northeastward from the central Midwestern states toward the Great Lakes Region, and the front will begin to move in our general direction. We’ll continue to be in the flow from the Gulf that will keep a few showers in the forecast throughout the day, but overall rain chances will remain small. Highs will be in the mid-60s to the lower 70s.

A STRONG STORM OR TWO POSSIBLE TUESDAY: The cold front will approach from the northwest and will begin to move through the northern half of Alabama, bringing rain and thunderstorms. We may have to watch this setup as we’ll have plenty of warm, moist air in place, which will be a little unstable. The good news is that the low associated with the front will be way up in Canada, so we are not expecting a big issue.

The Storm Prediction Center does not mention any threat of severe storms at this point. We’ll watch for any changes this weekend. Afternoon highs will be in the upper 60s to the mid-70s. Rainfall amounts for the day look to be in the 1- to 1.75-inch range.

SHOWERS POSSIBLE THROUGH THURSDAY: The front will be stationary over central Alabama Wednesday, keeping showers in the forecast and skies cloudy. Rainfall totals will be well under one-half inch. Highs will be in the lower 50s to the mid-60s northwest to southeast.

On Thursday, the front finally starts moving slowly southward, which will keep most of Alabama dry behind the front and only a few showers possible ahead of it. Looks like showers will be gone by the evening rush hour. Highs will be in the upper 40s to the mid-50s.

FRIDAY: Skies will start to clear out and we’ll have a decent amount of sunshine before sunset. It will be dry but rather cool. Highs will range from the lower 50s in the northeast to the upper 50s in the southeast.

2020 SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK: As you know, Alabama is no stranger to severe weather, especially tornadoes. They can happen at any time of the year, day or night. We are approaching our primary severe weather season for Alabama (March, April and May). Our 2020 Severe Weather Awareness Week starts Sunday and goes through Friday, Feb. 21. Gov. Kay Ivey has declared next weekend, Feb. 21-23, as the 2020 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. For more information on the tax holiday, please click here to visit the Alabama Sales Tax Holiday section of National Weather Service Birmingham’s Severe Weather Awareness Week page.

NWS BIRMINGHAM SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER TRAINING: The National Weather Service office in Birmingham will be offering several online Basic Spotter Courses and a single Advanced Spotter Course over the next few months. These online courses are free and are open to anyone who would like to learn more about what it takes to be a spotter and what to look for. More information can be found on the NWS Birmingham website.

ON THIS DAY IN 1895: A big Gulf snowstorm produced 6 inches at Brownsville, Texas, and Mobile, 15 inches at Galveston, Texas, and 24 inches of snow at Rayne, Louisiana. in 24 hours. Snow fell at the very mouth of the Mississippi River. Houston received 22 inches of snow, and 9 inches blanketed New Orleans.

BEACH FORECAST: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Panama City Beach, Florida, on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region you are interested in.

For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.