THIS AFTERNOON: We have a mix of sun and clouds across much of Alabama this afternoon; showers are confined to the far southern counties of the state. Temperatures remain above average, mostly in the 60s. The average high for Birmingham on Jan. 26 is 54.

TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY: A wave of low pressure forms off to the west and will bring periods of rain to Alabama late tonight and Wednesday. Cooler air will slip in from the north; temperatures Wednesday won’t get out of the 50s and could fall into the 40s over the Tennessee Valley. Additional rain amounts should be one-half inch or less and there is no risk of severe thunderstorms. The sky will slowly clear late Wednesday night.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: The weather will be dry both days with cold mornings; the low early Thursday will be between 27 and 32 degrees, and low to mid 20s are likely early Friday. The sky will be mostly sunny with a high in the upper 40s Thursday, followed by mid 50s Friday.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Saturday will be dry with a high around 60 degrees; morning sun will give way to increasing cloud cover by afternoon. Rain and thunderstorms return to Alabama Saturday night into Sunday morning. For now it looks like the main window for rain comes from 6 p.m. through 9 a.m. For now no severe storms are expected, and rain amounts of one-half to 1 inch are likely. The weather stays fairly mild Sunday with a high in the low to mid 60s.

NEXT WEEK: Much of next week looks dry with seasonal temperatures — highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Rain and possibly a few thunderstorms will return Friday, Feb. 5.

ON THIS DATE IN 1772: Possibly the greatest snowfall ever recorded in Washington started on this day. When the storm began, Thomas Jefferson was returning home from his honeymoon with his new bride, Martha Wayles Skelton. The newlyweds made it to within eight miles of Monticello before having to abandon their carriage in the deep snow. Both finished the ride on horseback in the blinding snow. The newlyweds arrived home late on the night of Jan. 26. In Jefferson’s “Garden Book,” he wrote “the deepest snow we have ever seen.”

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