SUNNY OCTOBER AFTERNOON: Temperatures are between 77 and 83 degrees across Alabama this afternoon with a mostly sunny sky. Tonight will be mostly fair with lows generally in the 50s.

The weather will stay dry through the weekend with mostly sunny, warm afternoons and fair, pleasant nights. Highs will be mostly in the low 80s, which is about 10 degrees above average for the end of October.

FIRE ALERT: From the Alabama Forestry Commission: “Effective immediately, the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) has reissued a fire alert for all 67 counties in the state. In the 32 northern counties (roughly north of Interstate 20), no burn permits will be issued. In the 35 southern counties (south of Interstate 20), certified prescribed burn managers will have the option to obtain a one-day burn permit. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Anyone who burns a field, grassland or woodland without a burn permit may be subject to prosecution for committing a Class B misdemeanor.

“During the past seven days, AFC wildland firefighters have responded to 111 wildfires that scorched more than 1,881 acres of forestland in Alabama. Drought conditions are expected to worsen as no rain is forecast for the next week, and October is historically the state’s driest month. This extremely dry weather creates a greater-than-average potential for outdoor fires to escape easily and spread rapidly, taking longer – and more firefighting resources – to contain and ultimately control.”

NEXT WEEK: A cold front will bring a chance of some light rain and colder air into the Deep South. Some rain is possible at times over the latter half of the week as the front stalls out near the coast, but it looks like amounts will be light (generally less than one-half inch). Highs drop into the 50s and 60s through midweek, with lows in the 40s.

TROPICS: Tammy remains a hurricane this afternoon with 75 mph winds. It is about 580 miles south/southeast of Bermuda and is moving northeast at 8 mph. Tammy is expected to become post-tropical Thursday, and the latest National Hurricane Center track has the circulation center near Bermuda over the weekend.Short-lived Tropical Depression 21 has dissipated inland over Central America. The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: The sky will be clear for the high school games across Alabama Friday night with temperatures falling from the mid 70s at kickoff into the upper 60s.

For Saturday’s Magic City Classic in Birmingham (Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M, 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Legion Field), the sky will be partly to mostly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 80s. It will be a warm October afternoon.

Auburn hosts Mississippi State (2:30 p.m. kickoff) at Jordan Hare Stadium. Dry, warm weather is the story, with temperatures between 81 and 84 degrees for most of the game. The sky will be mostly sunny.

ON THIS DATE IN 2005: After passing northwest of the Florida Keys, Hurricane Wilma struck southwestern Florida near Cape Romano with winds of 120 mph. Wilma rapidly crossed the state and weakened, emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Jupiter. Before the Florida landfall, at one point Wilma was a Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 185 mph. After Wilma, no major hurricane made landfall in the contiguous United States until Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southern Texas on Aug. 26, 2017, ending a record period of 11 years and 10 months.

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