SUNNY, HAZY, WARM DAY: We have lots of hazy sunshine across Alabama today with temperatures mostly in the mid 80s; the average high for Birmingham on Oct. 3 is 81. Tonight will feature a clear sky with a low between 55 and 65 degrees.

Our weather won’t change much through Thursday, with sunny, warm afternoons and fair, pleasant nights. Highs will be in the 80s and lows between 55 and 65 degrees. A sharp cold front moves in Friday; the sky will be occasionally cloudy, and a few sprinkles or areas of light rain are possible, but beneficial rain is not expected. Many places won’t see a drop. The high will be close to 80.

COOL WEEKEND: The coolest air so far this season rolls into Alabama over the weekend. Highs drop into the 65- to 73-degree range, with lows in the 40s over the northern two-thirds of the state by Sunday morning. Even far south Alabama will see a low in the low 50s. The air will be dry, and we expect sunny days and clear nights.

NEXT WEEK: The weather continues to look mostly dry through the first half of the week with highs in the 70s. Some global models are hinting at a chance of rain by late Thursday or Friday as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico surges northward.

TROPICS: There’s still just one system on the map this afternoon. Tropical Storm Philippe is passing near the British Virgin Islands with winds of 45 mph. It will move northward over the next few days, passing just near or just east of Bermuda Friday night. The National Hurricane Center now keeps the system below hurricane strength as it gains latitude and remains well east of the U.S.; it becomes post-tropical by the weekend as it approaches the Canadian Maritimes.The rest of the Atlantic basin is very quiet; we expect no tropical systems near the Gulf of Mexico for at least the next seven days.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: For the high school games Friday night, there’s just an outside risk of a little light rain. Otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy with temperatures falling through the 60s and a fairly stiff north breeze.

Jacksonville State has a Wednesday night special this week at Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro (7 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling through the 70s, reaching the 60s by the fourth quarter.

Saturday, Alabama will be in College Station to take on Texas A&M (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff). The temperature will be about 73 degrees at kickoff with a mostly sunny sky. It will be a very pleasant afternoon.

UAB will host USF Saturday at Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham (3 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be sunny with temperatures falling from near 68 at kickoff into the low 60s by the final whistle.

ON THIS DATE IN 1903: An unusual late-season tornado moved northeast from west of Chatfield, Minnesota, passing through and devastating St. Charles, Minnesota. Seven people were killed and 30 injured as 50 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

ON THIS DATE IN 1979: An F4 tornado struck the towns of Windsor, Windsor Locks and Suffield in Connecticut, causing an estimated $400 million in property damage. The New England Air Museum, which housed more than 20 vintage aircraft, was destroyed. This tornado also caused a United Airlines flight to abort a landing at the Bradley International Airport because the pilot saw the tornado.

ON THIS DATE IN 2002: Hurricane Lili made landfall between White Lake and Vermilion Bay, Louisiana, as a Category 1 storm.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.