FINALLY: Our much-anticipated front is knifing through central Alabama this morning. Northwesterly winds are gusting to 25 mph behind the front, and they should remain brisk through the day. A weakening line of showers pushed southeastward overnight. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect until midnight, but the southern end of the line was weak. Skies became cloudy for a time but should clear quickly as drier air spreads into the area. Highs this afternoon will be between 67 and 70 degrees in most spots. Lows tonight will be in the 40s for the most part, but some upper 30s will be measured in the normally cooler spots of north Alabama.

SUNDAY: Sunday will be a fantastic fall day with abundant sunshine and highs near 70. Sunday night will be another chilly one, with widespread 40s. This will be the coldest air so far this season for most communities.

FOOTBALL FORECAST:

AUBURN AT ARKANSAS (11 a.m. CT kickoff in Fayetteville): A beautiful fall day in Arkansas, with sunshine in full supply and temperatures rising from 62 at kickoff into the mid 60s by the second half.

SAMFORD AT WOFFORD: (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Spartanburg, South Carolina): Expect a partly sunny sky; a shower is possible late in the game. Temperatures will be in the 70s.

JACKSONVILLE STATE AT SAM HOUSTON STATE: (2 p.m. CT kickoff in Huntsville, Texas): A sunny day with temperatures falling from near 75 at kickoff into the upper 60s by the final whistle.

TROY AT TEXAS STATE: (2 p.m. CT kickoff in San Marcos, Texas): A cloudless sky; lots of sunshine with temperatures in the 70s.

UAB AT SOUTHERN MISS: (2:30 p.m. kickoff in Hattiesburg): It will be a sun-filled day; the temperature at kickoff will be near 73 degrees, falling into the upper 60s by the fourth quarter.

ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (6 p.m. kickoff in Starkville): Perfect football weather. A clear sky with temperatures falling from near 67 at kickoff into the 50s by the second half.

NEXT WEEK: Expect similar conditions for much of next week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will feature sunny, pleasant days with clear, cool nights. Lows will be in the 40s and 50s. Highs will be in the 70s.

BEACH FORECAST CENTER: Get the latest weather and rip current forecasts for the beaches from Fort Morgan to Panama City on our Beach Forecast Center page. There, you can select the forecast of the region you are interested in visiting.

TROPICS: The tropics are quiet, with no systems threatening to become tropical cyclones over the Atlantic in the next few days.

WEATHERBRAINS: Great discussion this week with Mike Farrar, the president of the American Meteorological Society. He is also one of America’s foremost scientists in the arena of numerical weather prediction. Check out the the world’s longest-running weather podcast at weatherbrains.com and wherever you get your audio podcasts.

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