SUNNY BUT COLD: Temperatures are finally above freezing from Birmingham and I-20 south this afternoon, but we still have upper 20s over the northern third of the state. Tonight will feature a mostly clear sky with a low between 15 and 25 degrees for most places.

REST OF THE WEEK: Clouds move in Thursday as temperatures rise into the 40s by afternoon. Light rain is likely Thursday afternoon into Thursday night; for now, it looks like any freezing rain and sleet will stay in Tennessee this time. Another surge of arctic air begins to arrive Friday as highs drop into the 30s and 40s.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Lows will be in the teens again both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Colder spots could see single-digit lows over north Alabama early Saturday. The weekend will be dry and sunny both days; the northern half of Alabama will stay below freezing all day Saturday, with mid 30s for south Alabama. Highs return to the 40s Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: A pattern flip means much warmer weather for the Deep South and the contiguous U.S. We will be dry Monday, but the rest of the week looks fairly wet, with periods of rain daily Tuesday through Friday. Highs will be generally in the 50s Monday and Tuesday, followed by 60s Wednesday through Friday.

From that point, it looks like temperatures will remain above average around here through the end of January.ON THIS DATE IN 1982: Strong chinook winds caused severe wind damage in Boulder, Colorado. A wind gust of 118 mph was recorded on the roof of the Environmental Research Laboratories and a wind gust of 137 mph was measured atop the roof of the National Center for Atmospheric Research building.

ON THIS DATE IN 1999: An F4 tornado tracked across southern Jacksonville, Tennessee, damaging more than 200 homes and 55 buses. The storm killed six people and injured 106.

ON THIS DATE IN 2013: One to 3 inches of snow fell across the northern half of Alabama, with locally higher amounts of 4 to 5 inches reported. Thundersnow, a very rare occurrence in the South, was observed with the heaviest snow band as it moved across Tuscaloosa, Walker, Jefferson and St Clair counties.

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