James Spann has a cool, dry midweek forecast for Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

DRY, COOL WEATHER CONTINUES: A new surge of cool, dry air works into Alabama today; highs will be in the low to mid 50s for most communities with a good supply of sunshine. A freeze is likely for the northern half of the state early Thursday, with temperatures in the upper 20s and low 30s. By Friday, highs will return to the 60s with a partly sunny sky. Moisture will begin to return over the southern counties Friday, and a few showers are possible by afternoon along the Gulf Coast and across Mobile and Baldwin counties.

STORMY WEEKEND: A dynamic weather system with strong wind fields will affect Alabama with rain and thunderstorms. Occasional showers are likely Saturday (but it won’t rain all day) with highs between 67 and 72 degrees. Winds out of the south will ramp up, with gusts to 25 mph by afternoon.

An organized batch of rain and strong thunderstorms will roll into the state Saturday night. The Storm Prediction Center maintains a risk of severe storms for areas west of Alabama, including parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and west Tennessee.

For now, there is no formal risk of severe thunderstorms defined for Alabama Saturday night due to the lack of surface-based instability. But there is no doubt storms could produce strong, gusty winds as they move through. The main window for the heavier storms will come from about 9 Saturday night through 6 a.m. Sunday. Rain amounts of 1-2 inches are likely statewide.

The sky will clear Sunday with sunshine returning by afternoon; the day will be breezy and cool, with highs in the 50s.

NEXT WEEK: The weather will be cool and dry Monday and Tuesday. Global models diverge beyond that; for now, we will stick with the reliable European model, which suggests much of the week will stay rain-free.FOOTBALL WEATHER: The Alabama Super 7 high school football championships will be played tonight through Friday in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The weather will be cool and dry for all the games; daytime temperatures will be in the 50s today and Thursday and in the 60s Friday. For the evening games, temperatures will be mostly in the 40s with no risk of any rain.

ON THIS DATE IN 1913: A Dec. 1-6 snowstorm dumped a record total of 45.7 inches in Denver, Colorado.

ON THIS DATE IN 1983: An F3 tornado moved through Selma before dawn; it was down for 13 miles. One person was killed at the Rangedale Housing Project. There was heavy damage at Selma University, where seven students were injured in a dorm.

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