PLEASANT DECEMBER AFTERNOON: Temperatures are in the upper 50s and low 60s across Alabama this afternoon with a good supply of sunshine through high clouds. The average high for Birmingham on Dec. 12 is 58. Tonight will be fair and cold, with a low in the 30s; some colder spots will see a freeze by daybreak Wednesday.

The weather will stay dry through Friday with mostly sunny, cool days and fair, cold nights.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: A surface low is forecast to develop in the northern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and will bring a risk of some rain to parts of the state over the weekend. There will be no risk of severe storms, and the rain amounts should be generally light, less than one-quarter inch. Global models remain in poor agreement; the European model keeps the low well to the south and east of Alabama, with very little rain here. The American model shows a higher coverage of rain; we will have much better clarity over the next few days. Highs will be around 60, with lows in the 40s.

NEXT WEEK: At this point the week looks dry with seasonal temperatures — highs between 57 and 65 degrees, with lows in the 30s and 40s. The pattern continues to favor mild Pacific air over the contiguous U.S. through late December with above-average temperatures.ON THIS DATE IN 1962: A major cold wave was underway across the Southeast. The low at Birmingham was 4 degrees. The next day, Dec. 13, Tampa experienced its coldest morning ever recorded. The temperature fell to 18 degrees there.

ON THIS DATE IN 1967: From Dec. 12 through Dec. 20, a series of snowstorms buried Flagstaff, Arizona, with nearly 85 inches of snow.

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