THIS WEEKEND: Alabama is waking up in the deep freeze this morning, as early morning lows bottomed out in the 20s. A few of the usual colder spots may have even hit the upper 10s for a bit. However, ridging will be centered over the Gulf of Mexico, allowing for a west-southwesterly flow across the state. Some high cirrus clouds will keep the skies from being completely clear; however, bright sunshine will make those afternoon highs in the 50s feel much better than Friday.

A cold front heads our way on Sunday and will eventually allow showers to begin to move into the state by the late morning to early afternoon. And don’t expect those rain chances to end anytime soon, as the front washes out and will keep our weather active into the work week ahead. Highs will range from the lower 50s to the lower 60s.

THE WORK WEEK: Temperatures will be much milder on Monday, and we will receive some much-needed rainfall. The only drawback I see is that we’ll have to drive in the rain during both rush hours. From midnight to lunchtime, we could receive up to or just over 1 inch of rainfall in the north and northwest, with totals decreasing as you move southeast. However, the rain will eventually spread southeastward. Highs will be in the 60s.

A much stronger cold front will be heading in our direction on Tuesday, bringing more lift for the development of even more showers and maybe some thunder. Temperatures will also remain mild ahead of the front, with highs reaching the mid to upper 60s.

The front passes through the state on Wednesday, bringing an end to our rain chances and resupplying Alabama with much cooler, drier air. Rain will end during the morning, and afternoon highs will reach only the lower to mid 40s.

Surface high pressure will be off to our northeast on Thursday and Friday, allowing for plenty of sunshine with crisp, cool air. Thursday’s highs will be in the mid 40s to the lower 50s and Friday’s in the upper 40s to the lower 50s.

For more weather news and information from James Spann, Scott Martin and other members of the James Spann team, visit AlabamaWx.