RADAR CHECK: Rain continues this morning, mainly over the eastern half of Alabama. The western counties are dry, but clouds linger there. Dry air will move into the state today with clearing from west to east; lingering rain over east Alabama will be over in most places by early afternoon. Temperatures will hold in the 60s, with low 70s possible for some communities in west Alabama.

Tonight will be clear and cool, with a low in the 40s.

FRIDAY AND THE WEEKEND: Expect sunny, pleasant days and fair, cool nights. Lows will be in the 40s, but some of the colder spots over north Alabama could reach the mid to upper 30s. Highs will be in the 60s Friday, and most places will be close to 70 Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

NEXT WEEK: A cold front will bring a chance of rain Tuesday night and Wednesday, followed by much colder air. We aren’t expecting any severe thunderstorms with the front, and after it passes through, highs drop into the 50s over north Alabama Thursday and Friday. Some places over the Tennessee Valley might hold in the 40s all day Thursday.

TROPICS: Potential Tropical Cyclone 19 is expected to become Tropical Storm Sara later today. It is about 280 miles east of the coast of Honduras with winds of 35 mph, moving west at 16 mph.

Through early next week, heavy rainfall will cause significant, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides across portions of Central America, particularly Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala and western Nicaragua.

The disturbance is forecast to be near hurricane strength when it moves near the eastern coast of Honduras on Friday and Saturday. Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings are in effect for portions of that area.

The system is forecast to approach Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico at or near hurricane strength by early next week. There is a risk of dangerous storm surge and damaging winds.

It is too soon to determine what impacts the system could bring to portions of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, including Florida, the Florida Keys and Cuba during the middle of next week. Sara could dissipate inland over the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, but it if survives we will need to keep a close eye on it in the southern Gulf.

Most global model ensemble members show a rainmaker affecting the Florida Peninsula by the middle of next week.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: It will be a perfect night for high school playoff games Friday night, a clear sky with temperatures falling through the 50s.

On Saturday, Auburn hosts Louisiana-Monroe at Jordan-Hare Stadium (11:45 a.m. kickoff). Expect a sun-filled sky with temperatures rising from the mid 60s at kickoff to near 70 by the final whistle.

Alabama hosts Mercer Saturday (1 p.m. kickoff) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The sky will be sunny with temperatures between 67 and 70 degrees.

UAB plays at Memphis (7 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be clear with temperatures falling from the low 60s at kickoff into the low 50s by the fourth quarter.

ON THIS DATE IN 1969: Shortly after being launched on a rainy day at Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 12 was twice struck by lightning, causing serious instrument problems. Telemetry displays onboard were suddenly garbled. The astronauts didn’t know what had happened; they just knew that everything had gone haywire. Flight controllers in Houston were seriously considering aborting the mission, a very dangerous procedure.

Enter John Aaron, flight controller. Aaron discerned a familiar pattern amid the jumbled telemetry readings, a pattern he had observed once in a training simulation. He calmly suggested, “Flight, try SCE to Aux.” SCE is “signal conditioning equipment.” It was an obscure switch the astronauts had to work to find.

It was a shot in the dark, but it worked. As the switch was flipped, the rocket’s systems began to stabilize. The electrical malfunctions that had plagued the mission moments earlier were a thing of the past. Apollo 12 was back on track and was headed to the moon. The call “SCE to Aux” remains legendary.

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