ANOTHER DRY, DUSTY DAY: With a mostly sunny sky, temperatures are between 77 and 83 degrees across Alabama this afternoon. The sky remains mostly fair tonight with a low in the 50s.

FIRE ALERT: The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) reissued a fire alert for all 67 counties in the state Tuesday. 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 move through Alabama Monday, and we expect a big temperature contrast. North Alabama will likely be in the 50s all day with a chilly north wind, while the southern counties reach the low to mid 80s again. Some scattered light rain is possible over the northwest counties of the state, but nothing really beneficial.

All of the state will be in colder air Tuesday with highs in the 50s and 60s. Lows drop into the 30s over the northern half of the state by Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and a number of communities will see their first freeze of the season. Unfortunately, at this point it looks like most of the week will be dry with just some scattered light rain.

TROPICS: Hurricane Otis slammed into Acapulco, Mexico, last night as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 165 mph. This likely produced catastrophic damage; it continues to weaken rapidly this afternoon.

In the Atlantic, Hurricane Tammy now has sustained winds of 105 mph and is about 515 miles south/southeast of Bermuda this afternoon. It will be a post-tropical cyclone Thursday as it gains latitude and is forecast to be east of Bermuda over the weekend.

No tropical systems will be near the Gulf of Mexico through the weekend.

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 80 and 83 degrees for most of the game. The sky will be mostly sunny.

ON THIS DATE IN 1921: A devastating Category 3 hurricane struck near Tarpon Springs, Florida. The storm caused eight fatalities and is the latest in the calendar year a Category 3 hurricane or stronger made landfall in the U.S.

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: The high temperature in Denver, Colorado, was 84 degrees. By the morning of Oct. 27, the temperature fell to 13 degrees, a 71-degree change.

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