WE NEED RAIN: Rain is needed, but it won’t happen around here through early next week. Look for sunny days and clear nights across Alabama through the weekend. The high Friday will be between 81 and 85 degrees, but cooler air arrives over the weekend, with afternoon temperatures peaking in the mid 70s Saturday and Sunday. Lows early Sunday will be well down in the 40s, and cooler spots over north Alabama could easily see 30s with a touch of light frost for the first time this season.

NEXT WEEK: The weather stays dry Monday through Wednesday, but we will bring in a chance of showers Thursday ahead of a cold front. Rain amounts will most likely be on the light side with limited moisture, but at least some places could get the dust settled. A new surge of cooler air arrives Friday.

Some notes on the dry conditions (based on data at Birmingham):

• Today is the 11th consecutive day with no measurable rain.
• Our last measurable rain was on Sept. 25, but the amount was only 0.03 inch.
• We have gone without measurable rain on 25 of the last 26 days.
• The last day with more than one-tenth of an inch of rain was Sept. 4, when the total was 1.55 inches.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Expect another delightful evening for high school football games across the state Friday night; the sky will be clear with temperatures falling through the 60s.

Auburn travels to Athens Saturday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be sunny and the temperature about 76 degrees at kickoff, falling to near 70 by the final whistle.

UAB has a home game in downtown Birmingham Saturday at Protective Stadium against Middle Tennessee (also a 2:30 p.m. kickoff). It will be a sunny afternoon with temperatures falling from around 73 degrees at kickoff into the upper 60s by the final whistle.

Saturday night, Alabama hosts Texas A&M (kickoff at 7) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from 67 degrees at kickoff into the 50s by the fourth quarter. It will be a perfect night for football.

TROPICS: Tropical Depression 12 in the eastern Atlantic is expected to dissipate tonight far from land.

Tropical Depression 13 has formed in the far southern Caribbean, near the coast of South America. It is forecast to move into Nicaragua Sunday as a hurricane, followed by weakening over Central America. It remains to be seen whether the remnants continue to move westward into the Pacific or if they turn northward toward the Bay of Campeche (the far southwest Gulf of Mexico). We will keep an eye on it.

ON THIS DATE IN 1981: The Netherlands’ fourth-worst aircraft accident (at the time) occurred. At 5:09 p.m., the crew noted heavy rainfall in thunderstorms on the weather avoidance radar and received clearance to avoid this area. At 5:12 p.m., the aircraft entered a tornado, which caused the right wing to separate from the plane. All 17 occupants of the plane perished in the accident.

ON THIS DATE IN 2016: The center of Category 4 Hurricane Matthew passed within 100 miles of Miami.

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.