RADAR CHECK: Showers continue over the northern half of Alabama this afternoon with a mostly cloudy sky; south Alabama is enjoying a partly to mostly sunny sky. Temperatures are mostly in the low 70s, a little more than 10 degrees above average for mid-December. Showers will fade after sunset.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Look for a mix of sun and clouds Saturday with a few scattered showers possible; the high will be between 66 and 70 degrees for most communities. Sunday will be cloudy with periods of rain likely, but it won’t rain all day and there is no risk of severe thunderstorms. The high will be in the mid 60s.

NEXT WEEK: A decent part of Monday and Tuesday will be dry with only spotty showers. On Wednesday, an organized batch of rain and storms will move into the state ahead of a cold front. The Storm Prediction Center maintains a risk of severe thunderstorms over the southwest corner of Alabama, but for the rest of the state surface-based instability will be very limited, keeping the threat low there. Rain could be heavy at times; amounts of 1-2 inches are likely for most of the state.

Colder, drier air rolls into the Deep South Thursday and Friday. Highs drop into the 40s by Friday and the following weekend, Dec. 17-18; lows will be in the 20s. The weather pattern favors below-average temperatures through Christmas weekend.

ON THIS DATE IN 2003: Although it never threatened land, a subtropical storm became Tropical Storm Peter approximately 700 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Combined with Tropical Storm Odette from earlier in the month, this was the first time since 1887 that two tropical storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in December.

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.