BLUE SKY: We have a cloudless sky across Alabama this afternoon with temperatures in the 50s. Tonight will be clear and cold, with a low between 25 and 35 degrees.

Look for mostly sunny, cool days and fair, chilly nights Tuesday through Friday. Highs will be somewhere between 55 and 65, with lows in the 30s and 40s.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: There is a considerable amount of uncertainty concerning the weekend weather in Alabama due to big differences in global model output. A surface low is expected to form in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and at this point it looks like the best chance of rain will come over the southern half of the state. Higher probabilities are Saturday night and Sunday; we will have much better clarity by midweek. Rain amounts are expected to be one-half inch or less for south Alabama, and no severe storms are expected. Highs for the weekend will be close to 60 degrees for most places.

NEXT WEEK: At this point the weather looks generally dry Dec. 18-22 with seasonal temperatures. The long-range guidance suggests temperatures will be a little above average around Christmas, not good news for those dreaming of a white Christmas.NWS SURVEY RESULTS: National Weather Service Birmingham was able to identity two brief tornadoes late Saturday night, between midnight and 12:30 a.m. The first was an EF-1 with winds of near 100 mph that moved from near I-65 at Wildwood Parkway to just west of Samford University. The second was another EF-1 that moved from near Brookwood Mall into Mountain Brook. NWS will have track maps and more specific information by Tuesday.

Both of these happened with no well-defined tornado signature on radar, and accordingly no tornado warnings were in effect. However, a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect; the first warning for southwest Jefferson County was issued at 11:12 p.m., the second one for the rest of Jefferson County at 11:59 p.m.

EF-0 tornado tracks were also identified in southern Lee and southern Barbour counties.

ON THIS DATE IN 1905: The highest temperature ever recorded in South America was recorded at Rivadavia, Argentina, at 120 degrees.

ON THIS DATE IN 1961: A tornado moved through Jacksonville in east Alabama; it produced significant damage on the campus of Jacksonville State University, but there were no injuries.

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