James Spann forecasts a dry Friday for Alabama, with rain returning Sunday from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

COLD START: Temperatures are in the 20s over north Alabama early this morning, with low to mid 30s over the southern counties under a clear sky. Expect a good supply of sunshine today with highs in the 50s and 60s, right at average for Jan. 27. Birmingham’s average high today is 55. The weather will stay dry Saturday with a partly to mostly sunny sky; seasonal temperatures continue.

RAIN RETURNS: Clouds return Saturday night, and Sunday will be wet with periods of rain and possibly a thunderstorm statewide. There is no surface-based instability and no risk of severe storms. Rain amounts Sunday will be around 1 inch for most places; temperatures will be generally in the 50s.

NEXT WEEK: Showers could linger into Monday morning, but a decent part of the day should be dry. We will deal with periods of rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday thanks to a stalled surface front nearby. Some flooding could develop in this wet pattern before the rain ends, but no severe storms are expected with a cool, stable air mass holding in place. Drier, colder air returns Friday with a clearing sky. Highs for most places will be in the 50s during the week.

ON THIS DATE IN 1922: From Jan. 27 through Jan. 29, a significant snowstorm struck the East Coast from South Carolina to southeastern Massachusetts. Washington, D.C., reported 28 inches. The heavy snow on the Knickerbocker Theater’s flat roof put a significant strain on the structure. On the evening of Jan. 28, during a showing of the silent comedy “Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford,” the building collapsed, killing 98 people and injuring 130 others.

ON THIS DATE IN 1940: Alabama was locked in a severe cold wave; the north half of the state was under a heavy blanket of snow. The snow came Jan. 23-24. There was more than a foot in parts of north Alabama. One inch fell as far south as Montgomery. Bitter cold followed the snow.

Birmingham was covered with 7 inches of snow. There was ice skating on the Black Warrior River at Birmingport with ice on the river 4 inches thick. The ice was 7 inches thick on creeks running into the river. The Cullman area was very hard hit by the unusually severe winter storm. Over a 13-inch blanket of snow, the temperature plunged to a bitter 16 below zero. Anniston was buried under an 11-inch blanket of snow.

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.