James Spann forecasts a lot of sunshine for Alabama today from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

RADAR CHECK: Rain lingers across parts of southeast Alabama early this morning, but it will be ending soon, and all of the state will enjoy a mostly sunny day. Temperatures have dropped below freezing over some of the northern counties, and some patchy “black ice” is possible there where water is still standing. Look for highs in the 40s across north Alabama today, with 50s to the south. A brisk north wind will make it feel cooler. Tonight will be clear and cold, with many places dipping into the 20s.

WEEKEND WARM-UP: The weather will stay dry over the weekend with a warming trend. With a sunny sky Saturday, highs will be in the 50s and 60s. A disturbance will bring a few clouds Sunday, but the air will be too dry for any rain for most of the state. A few showers could show up near the Gulf Coast and the Florida Panhandle, however. Temperatures reach the 60s statewide Sunday afternoon.

NEXT WEEK: Monday and Tuesday will be dry and mild, with highs in the 60s and 70s. A few showers are possible over north Alabama Wednesday, and rain and storms will be more likely by Thursday, Thursday night and possibly part of the day Friday. This system could bring some risk of strong storms, but it is too early to know whether there will be a severe threat.There’s still no sign of any bitterly cold, Arctic air for Alabama through mid-February.

ON THIS DATE IN 1959: “The Day the Music Died.” At 12:55 a.m. Central Time, a plane took off from runway 17 at the Mason City, Iowa, airport, carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. At the time of departure, the weather was reported as light snow, a ceiling of 3,000 feet with sky obscured, visibility 6 miles and winds from 20 to 30 mph. Around 9:35 a.m., Hubert Jerry Dwyer spotted the wreckage less than 6 miles northwest of the airport. The three musicians and the pilot died from this crash.

ON THIS DATE IN 2022: A slow-moving cold front moved through central Alabama during the afternoon and evening. A supercell thunderstorm developed in far eastern Mississippi and then produced three EF2 tornadoes across west Alabama. Additional storms produced two EF0 tornadoes in Elmore County. One person was killed in Sawyerville.

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.