COOL, DRY AFTERNOON: The sky has cleared over much of Alabama this afternoon, and temperatures are mostly between 55 and 60 degrees, right at seasonal averages for Dec. 8. Tonight will be mostly fair and cold, with a low in the 30s; colder spots will see a light freeze.Look for a partly sunny sky Thursday with a high in the 60s; we will mention just a small risk of an afternoon shower as moisture levels begin to rise. On Friday we hit the mid 70s, just below record levels. A few scattered showers or storms are possible Friday, but a decent part of the day will be dry with a good south breeze of 10-18 mph.

STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE AS THE WEEKEND BEGINS: A cold front will push an organized batch of rain and thunderstorms into Alabama after midnight Friday night into the daytime Saturday. The Storm Prediction Center, in its severe weather outlook that runs through 6 a.m. Saturday, has a slight risk (level 2 of 5) defined for the northwest corner of the state and a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) as far south as Scottsboro and Tuscaloosa.

For now, the SPC has not issued a formal severe weather outlook after 6 a.m. Saturday, but it likely will issue at least a marginal risk in future outlooks for most of the rest of Alabama.

TIMING: The main window for strong to severe storms over the northern half of Alabama will come from 2 a.m. until noon Saturday. During the afternoon the rain and storms will shift into the southern half of the state.

THREATS: The main threat will come from strong winds along an organized line of thunderstorms. A brief, isolated tornado or two within the line can’t be totally ruled out, however.

RAIN AMOUNTS: Most places will see rain amounts of around 1 inch with this system; flash flooding is not expected.

Temperatures will be mostly in the 60s Saturday. The sky will clear Saturday night as colder, drier air works into the state behind the front. Sunday will be sunny with a high between 55 and 60 degrees.

NEXT WEEK: A strong upper high will build over the Gulf Coast region next week, meaning dry conditions with pleasant afternoons. Highs will be mostly in the 60s through the week, but we could approach 70 by Thursday and Friday. The latest Climate Prediction Center outlook suggests temperatures will be above average here Dec. 16-22. It’s still too early to call the weather for Christmas.

ON THIS DATE IN 1935: From the Monthly Weather Review for December 1935, “The outstanding flood of December 1935 was the record-breaking overflow of Buffalo and White Oak Bayous at Houston, Texas, on the 8th and 9th. This destructive flood was caused by excessive rainfall over Harris County, Texas, during a 42-hour period on the 6th, 7th, 8th, with amounts ranging from 5.5 inches at Houston” to 16.49 inches at the Humble Oil Company in northwestern Harris County.

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: Significant snow fell across a large portion of central Alabama along a southwest-to-northeast axis. This snow fell from Dec. 8 into Dec. 9. Within the main corridor of snow, totals of 4 to 8 inches were common, with a few swaths of 8 to 12 inches. A few reports exceeding 12 inches were received from Clay into Cleburne counties: one 15-inch report in Delta (Clay County) and two 13-inch reports (Cleburne County). While public reports are considered unofficial, values were fairly consistent and tend to indicate this event was a top-tier-ranking snowstorm for some locations in east Alabama. Birmingham officially recorded 4 inches of snow, making it the third-snowiest December on record.

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