COOL JANUARY DAY: The sky is mostly sunny across Alabama this afternoon with temperatures ranging from the upper 40s across the northern counties to the upper 50s near the Gulf Coast. Clouds will increase tonight; most places will see a low between 28 and 34 degrees.

COLD, WET WEDNESDAY: A weak surface low will develop in the northern Gulf of Mexico and will spread light rain into parts of Alabama Wednesday morning. There could be a little sleet as the precipitation begins thanks to evaporative cooling, but there won’t be any impact.

New model data suggests the best chance of light rain will be over the southern half of the state; parts of north Alabama could miss it completely. Otherwise, the day will be mostly cloudy with a high only in the 45- to 50-degree range. Rain amounts over south Alabama should be generally a quarter inch or less.

Dry air returns Thursday. With a sunny sky, the high will be in the 50s.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: A dynamic weather system will bring clouds back into Alabama Friday, and a soaking rain is likely Friday night into Saturday morning. Models are trending faster with this feature, suggesting most of the rain will come from 8 Friday night through 8 Saturday morning. Amounts of 1-2 inches are likely, and there could be a rumble of thunder near the Gulf Coast.

The rain should be out of the state by Saturday afternoon, and Sunday looks dry with a mostly sunny sky. Highs will be in the 50s over the weekend, right at seasonal averages for early January.

NEXT WEEK: The daytime Monday will be mostly dry, but a vigorous system will bring another big rain event to the Deep South Monday night into Tuesday morning. This one also has potential for 1-2 inches of rain, and strong storms could be an issue near the Gulf Coast. Yet another rain producer will arrive on Friday. Highs will be mostly in the 50s through the week, although on Wednesday north Alabama most likely won’t get out of the 40s.ON THIS DATE IN 1955: Hurricane Alice passed through the Islands of Saint Martin and Saba in the Caribbean Sea. Alice, which developed on Dec. 30, 1954, is the only known Atlantic hurricane to span two calendar years.

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: An EF2 tornado tracked for 5.59 miles through parts of Geneva and Houston counties in southeast Alabama. Extensive tree damage occurred, with some trees being debarked. Several buildings were demolished at the National Peanut Festival grounds.

ON THIS DATE IN 2022: Heavy snow came down across the Tennessee Valley region of north Alabama, with 2-4 inches common and pockets of 5-7 inches. Across central Alabama totals were much lower, generally a dusting to one-half inch, primarily on elevated surfaces such as decks, roofs and vehicles.

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