DRY: Today will be the 13th consecutive day with no rain for most of Alabama; expect a sunny sky with a high between 78 and 83 degrees this afternoon. The weekend will stay dry with sunny, warm days and clear, cool nights; by Sunday afternoon, temperatures reach the mid 80s in most spots.

NEXT WEEK: A dry front will pass through early Sunday, and the coolest air so far this season will arrive. By early Wednesday morning, some of the colder spots across north Alabama will likely drop into the mid to upper 30s. Dry air means no rain through the week as the long dry spell continues.

TROPICS: Leslie is a weakening tropical storm in the middle of the Atlantic; it will become post-tropical Sunday far from land. In the far eastern Atlantic, shower and thunderstorm activity has become better organized in association with an area of low pressure over the Cabo Verde Islands. Some additional development is possible, and a short-lived tropical depression or tropical storm could form while the system moves westward or west-northwestward at 10-15 mph across the Cabo Verde Islands and eastern tropical Atlantic today. By Saturday, environmental conditions are forecast to become less conducive, and further development is unlikely after that time. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 40% chance of short-term development.

The rest of the Atlantic basin, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, is very quiet.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Expect a clear sky for the high school games across Alabama tonight with temperatures falling from the low 70s at kickoff into the 60s during the second half.

Saturday, Alabama hosts South Carolina (11 a.m. kickoff) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The sky will be sunny with temperatures rising from near 77 at kickoff into the low 80s by the final whistle.

UAB is on the road, playing Army in West Point, New York (11 a.m. CT kickoff). The weather will be dry. With a sunny sky, temperatures rise from 68 degrees at kickoff into the low 70s by the fourth quarter.

ON THIS DATE IN 1846: A major hurricane, possibly a Category 5, moved through the Caribbean Sea. This Great Havana Hurricane struck western Cuba on Oct. 10. It hit the Florida Keys on Oct. 11, destroying the old Key West Lighthouse and Fort Zachary Taylor.

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