RADAR CHECK: Most of Alabama is dry this afternoon, with only a few isolated patches of light rain on radar. Temperatures are in the 60s and 70s, but cold air is just northwest of the state, where Memphis is in the 30s. The sky is mostly cloudy, and clouds will linger tonight.

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY: The sky will stay generally overcast Tuesday and Wednesday, and some light rain will fall at times, nothing especially heavy or widespread. There will be a huge thermal contrast Tuesday; temperatures will be in the 30s over the northwest corner of the state, with 70s for places like Mobile and Dothan. Icing will develop northwest of Alabama in parts of west Tennessee, northwest Mississippi and Arkansas. It will be a very close call for the Shoals Tuesday night and early Wednesday; a few spots could see temperatures drop to freezing with some light icing possible, but for most places across the Tennessee Valley temperatures will be a little above freezing with some light rain.

THURSDAY: The main upper trough will lift out of the Southwest U.S., and a soaking rain is likely statewide. There will be no risk of severe storms and probably little thunder, with no surface-based instability. Rain amounts from now through Thursday night will be 2-3 inches for north Alabama, with 1-2 inches for the southern counties of the state. The rain will end late Thursday night and very early Friday morning.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: The sky becomes mostly sunny Friday as dry air returns to the state, and Saturday will feature sunshine in full supply. A disturbance could bring a few sprinkles to the state Sunday, but at the moment it looks like moisture will be very limited, and meaningful rain isn’t especially likely. Temperatures will be close to seasonal averages, with highs in the 50s and 60s.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday look rain-free, but rain will likely return on Wednesday. Drier air follows by Thursday and Friday. There’s still no sign of any bitterly cold, Arctic air through mid-February.

ON THIS DATE IN 1966: The Blizzard of 1966 hit New York and paralyzed the region. The train service was disrupted. Numerous highways, the New York State Thruway from Albany to the Pennsylvania state line, and the Buffalo Airport and other airports throughout western and central New York were closed. The Syracuse-Oswego area was hardest hit, where Bob Sykes, a meteorology professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, reported 102.4 inches.

Brutally cold Arctic air invaded the Deep South. Birmingham’s low was 4 degrees below zero.

ON THIS DATE IN 2013: Six tornadoes touched down across north Alabama. Some of the most significant damage was across parts of Lamar, Winston, Walker, Fayette and Cullman counties.

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.