James Spann forecasts more warm days for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

DECEMBER WARMTH: Most of Alabama will remain dry through Friday, although a few isolated showers could show up over the southwest counties of the state Friday afternoon as moisture levels rise. With a partly sunny sky, we project highs in the low 70s today and between 72 and 75 degrees Friday.

Here are the daily record highs for the rest of the week at Birmingham:

• Today (Dec. 16) — 76 (1924)
• Friday (Dec. 17) — 73 (1984)

That record high of 73 Friday could very well be in danger with temperatures here 15-20 degrees above average for mid-December.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A cold front will bring showers back to the state Saturday. This won’t be an all-day rain, but if you have something planned outdoors be aware that occasional showers are likely. There will be some surface-based instability available, so a rumble of thunder is possible, but severe storms are not expected with weak dynamics. The day will be cloudy with a high between 67 and 71 degrees.

Rain ends Saturday evening, and the sky becomes partly to mostly sunny Sunday. The day will be considerably cooler, with a high only in the 50- to 55-degree range, almost a 20-degree drop from Saturday’s warmth.

NEXT WEEK: Monday will be partly to mostly sunny with a high between 56 and 60 degrees. Clouds return Tuesday, and some rain is possible mainly over the southern half of the state as a wave passes through the northern Gulf of Mexico. The reliable European global model suggests the rain will be confined to the area near the Gulf Coast.

Wednesday through Friday will be dry with mostly sunny days and fair nights; highs will be close to 60 degrees.

CHRISTMAS DAY: For now the weather looks dry and pleasant on Saturday, Dec. 25 — mostly sunny with a high at or just over 60 degrees after a morning low in the low 40s.

ON THIS DATE IN 2000: An EF4 tornado tore through the southern part of Tuscaloosa, killing 11 people and injuring more than 100. Nine of the fatalities occurred in mobile homes, one in a vehicle and one in a commercial building converted to residential use. Six of those killed were females and five were males. Ages ranged from 16 months to 83 years old. The tornado was on the ground for 18 miles, all within Tuscaloosa County. The tornado path was estimated to be 750 yards wide at its maximum intensity.

There was an excellent warning for the tornado; a warning was issued at 12:40 p.m. on that deadly Saturday, 14 minutes before the twister first touched down in a rural area southwest of Tuscaloosa near the Black Warrior River. The tornado crossed Alabama 69 near Shelton State Community College and Hillcrest High School, destroying a shopping center and many homes. The Bear Creek Trailer Park was hit, where many of the deaths occurred. The tornado moved to the east-northeast, south of Skyland Boulevard, and finally crossed I-59/20 near the Cottondale exit.

Later in the day, the same parent storm dropped an F3 tornado that struck the Coats Bend region of Etowah County, near Gadsden, destroying 250 homes and injuring 14 people. Like the Tuscaloosa tornado, excellent warnings were issued by the National Weather Service long before the damage occurred.

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