RADAR CHECK: We have areas of light rain and drizzle over the northern half of Alabama this afternoon; this will continue through around midnight. Rain amounts will be very light, mostly less than one-tenth of an inch. On the positive side, temperatures are above average across all of Alabama, including the Tennessee Valley, so additional ice accumulation isn’t likely.

But the venture into above-freezing territory won’t last long as a new surge of arctic air will move into the state Friday. Lingering ice on roads over the northern quarter of the state won’t melt totally (although we certainly have seen some improvement this afternoon), and some icy travel will continue through Sunday morning, especially on secondary roads that are less traveled.

The sky will gradually clear Friday, with highs in the 30s over north Alabama and 40s for the southern counties.

THE WEEKEND: We drop into the 10- to 15-degree range Sunday morning over the northern half of the state, with lows between 15 and 25 for the southern counties. Sunday morning should be just as cold. The sky will be sunny Saturday and Sunday, but on Saturday most of north Alabama stays below freezing all day. Sunday’s high will be in the 40s.

NEXT WEEK: We have a major pattern flip across North America, setting the stage for a big warm-up. Highs will be in the 60s over the latter half of the week, and south Alabama could see low 70s. Monday will be dry, but we will forecast periods of rain daily Tuesday through Friday as a moist air mass moves in and we have a persistent southwest flow aloft. Rain amounts will be 1-2 inches, and the chance of rain will likely linger into the following weekend, Jan. 27-28.ON THIS DATE IN 1971: A warm Santa Ana condition brought 95-degree readings to Los Angeles and Palm Springs, the highest January temperature on record for both cities.

ON THIS DATE IN 1978: In Connecticut, the Hartford Arena collapsed after experiencing the largest snowstorm of its five-year life. Multiple issues caused the collapse.

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