CLEARING: The sky is sunny over the northern half of the state this afternoon; clouds over south Alabama will dissipate this evening as dry air takes over. Tonight will be fair with a low between 37 and 43 degrees.

The day Wednesday will be dry; expect a partly sunny sky with a high in the mid to upper 60s. Clouds increase late in the day.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THANKSGIVING: A cold front will bring more rain to the state, and the chance of a few strong thunderstorms. The Storm Prediction Center has introduced a marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for the southern two-thirds of the state.

Hardly any instability will be available over north Alabama, which will limit any severe thunderstorm threat there. For the southern counties, the air will be somewhat unstable, but wind fields are not especially strong. Some of the heavier storms could produce strong wind gusts and small hail. The chance of a brief, isolated tornado over south Alabama is low but not zero. The best chance of rain will come from about midnight Wednesday through around 6 p.m. Thursday and amounts of around one-half inch are likely.

MUCH COLDER: Cold air will flood the Deep South Friday and through the weekend. Highs drop into the 40s over north Alabama, with low 50s for the southern counties. Expect lows early Saturday and Sunday mornings between 25 and 32 degrees. The air will be dry; we are forecasting partly to mostly sunny days and fair nights.

NEXT WEEK: The coldest morning will be Monday, when 20s are likely down to the Gulf Coast. Some of the colder spots over north Alabama could easily reach the upper teens for the first time this season. Temperatures stay below average through the week, and we see no meaningful chance of any precipitation at this point.

IRON BOWL: The weather will be cold and dry Saturday in Tuscaloosa for this year’s Iron Bowl (Auburn at Alabama, 2:30 p.m. kickoff). The sky will be sunny, and temperatures will drop from near 48 at kickoff to near 40 by the final whistle.

ON THIS DATE IN 2007: Lightning and heavy rain delayed the start of the Monday Night Football game at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field between the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers by 25 minutes. The muddy field conditions contributed to one of the lowest-scoring NFL games, won by the Steelers 3-0. The teams combined gained 375 yards, and the winning field goal occurred with 17 seconds left in the game.

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