James Spann has the midweek forecast for Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

FOGGY START: There is a dense fog advisory early this morning for about the southern half of Alabama; that fog will dissipate by midmorning. Otherwise, today will be another warm, dry day with a high between 78 and 83 degrees this afternoon.

The day Thursday will be dry with a mix of sun and clouds, but the sky becomes cloudy Thursday night with a few showers possible ahead of a cold front.

FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND: The weather trends cooler and wetter. We expect periods of mostly light rain Friday through Sunday. The high Friday will be in the 60s over north Alabama, with 70s for the southern counties. Temperatures won’t get out of the 50s over the northern half of the state over the weekend; low to mid 60s are likely to the south.

This certainly won’t be a drought buster, and the weekend won’t be a total washout. Rain amounts Friday through Sunday will average around one-half inch for most of Alabama, with isolated amounts to 1 inch. We’re not expecting any thunder, just occasional light rain.

NEXT WEEK: The weather will be dry Monday and Tuesday with highs mostly in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Then models diverge, with the American Global Forecast System keeping the Deep South dry, while the European global model brings in a chance of rain at times over the latter half of the week. We will trend toward the wetter solution in our forecast.FOOTBALL WEATHER: Periods of light rain are possible for the high school playoff games across the state Friday night with temperatures in the low 60s.

Saturday, Alabama travels to Lexington to take on Kentucky (11 a.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be mostly sunny with temperatures rising from near 52 at kickoff to around 56 degrees by the final whistle.

UAB is also on the road, playing Navy in in Annapolis, Maryland (2:30 p.m. CT kickoff). It will be a great day for football; the sky will be sunny with temperatures falling from the mid 50s at kickoff into the upper 40s by the fourth quarter.

Auburn will be in Fayetteville taking on Arkansas (3 p.m. CT kickoff). The sky will be partly to mostly sunny with temperatures falling from the low 60s at kickoff into the 50s by the fourth quarter.

TROPICS: All remains quiet across the Atlantic basin, and tropical storm formation is not expected through the weekend. Hurricane season ends at the end of this month.

ON THIS DATE IN 1913: The Great Lakes Storm of Nov. 7-13, 1913, was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes region, sinking as many as 19 ships and stranding 19 others. This storm would be the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the Great Lakes.

ON THIS DATE IN 1994: The 12th and final tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season formed in the southwestern Caribbean. While Hurricane Gordon was only a Category 1, it killed 1,149 people, including 1,122 in Haiti.

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