FRIGID AIR: Temperatures are below freezing this afternoon over the northern two-thirds of Alabama despite a mostly sunny sky; some communities across the Tennessee Valley are barely out of the teens. A hard freeze is ahead tonight, with lows between 5 and 15 degrees for most of Alabama; upper teens are possible down to the Gulf Coast.

Wednesday will be sunny; temperatures rise above freezing by late morning, and road conditions should improve. The high will range from the mid 30s over north Alabama to the mid 40s near the coast.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Clouds will increase Thursday with a high in the 40s. Some light rain is likely late Thursday afternoon and Thursday night. For now, it looks like any freezing or frozen precipitation will be north of Alabama. We could see a few flurries on the back side of the system after midnight, but no impact is expected if that happens.

Another surge of Arctic air invades the Deep South Friday. The sky will clear with highs in the 30s and a brisk north wind.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Lows will be in the teens for most of the state Saturday and Sunday mornings. North Alabama will stay below freezing all day Saturday. The high Sunday will be in the 40s as a warming trend begins. The air will be dry, and we expect a good supply of sunshine both days.

NEXT WEEK: We have a pattern flip and a big warm-up, as temperatures reach the 60s over the latter half of the week. The weather will be unsettled with some risk of rain daily Tuesday through Thursday.ON THIS DATE IN 1990: Heavy snow fell across Prince William Sound and the Susitna Valley of southern Alaska. Valdez was buried under 64.9 inches of snow in less than two days, including a record of 47.5 inches in 24 hours. The heavy snow blocked roads, closed schools and sunk six vessels in the Valdez harbor.

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