James Spann forecasts a long dry spell for Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

ANOTHER COOL START: Here are some temperatures across Alabama just before sunrise:

• Cullman — 46
• Gadsden — 46
• Birmingham — 48
• Cottondale — 48
• Albertville — 48
• Anniston — 49
• Decatur — 49
• Sylacauga — 49
• Huntsville –50
• Auburn — 51
• Chelsea — 51
• Tuscaloosa — 52
• Montgomery — 53
• Dothan — 56
• Mobile — 59

Look for sunshine in full force again today with a high in the mid 70s; the average high for Birmingham on Sept. 29 is 82.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: Dry weather continues with sunny, pleasant days and clear, cool nights. Highs will be in the 70s with lows in the 50s. Delightful autumn weather.

NEXT WEEK: The dry pattern continues; we see no rain through the week with highs between 77 and 82, and lows mostly in the 50s. October is typically our driest month of the year.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games in the state Friday night, the sky will be mostly clear with temperatures falling through the 60s.

Saturday, Alabama travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be sunny with temperatures in the low 80s as the game begins. There’s no risk of rain.

Auburn hosts LSU Saturday (6 p.m. kickoff) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The sky will be mostly fair with temperatures falling from near 72 at kickoff into the 60s during the game.

UAB will be in Houston to take on Rice (6:30 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from the low 80s at kickoff into the mid 70s by the final whistle.

RACE WEEKEND: The weekend looks great for Talladega as Ian stays to the east. Expect a good supply of sunshine Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid 70s.

TROPICS: Ian is now a tropical storm centered about 40 miles southeast of Orlando; sustained winds are 65 mph. The circulation center will move into the Atlantic later this morning. The next landfall comes near Charleston Friday; tropical storm warnings are in effect from Boca Raton, Florida, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The system will dissipate Saturday over the mountains of North Carolina.

Tropical Depression 11 is in the middle of the Atlantic; it could briefly become Tropical Storm Julia before it dissipates this weekend. The system will stay far from land, and the rest of the Atlantic basin is very quiet.

ON THIS DATE IN 1927: An outbreak of tornadoes from Oklahoma to Indiana caused 81 deaths and $25 million damage. A tornado, possibly two tornadoes, cut an eight-mile-long path across St Louis, Missouri, to Granite City, Illinois, killing 79 people.

BEACH FORECAST: Click here to see the AlabamaWx Beach Forecast Center page.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.