MILD DECEMBER WEATHER: We are forecasting afternoon highs not far from 70 degrees daily through Wednesday across Alabama. Most of the state will be dry today, but a few showers are possible over the northern counties Tuesday. We will mention a chance of rain statewide Wednesday ahead of a cold front. Some thunder is possible, but severe storms are not expected despite the unseasonably mild conditions.

COOLER: Cooler, drier air returns to the state Thursday and Friday. Expect a good supply of sunshine both days with highs mostly in the 50s.

COLDER: Even colder air arrives over the weekend. Highs drop into the 40s, lows in the 20s for most of Alabama. The air remains dry and there is no chance of any precipitation.

CHRISTMAS WEEK: We are forecasting a warming trend, and by Christmas Day highs will be between 56 and 62 degrees across Alabama. Global models are having a hard time with the active wave pattern across the South. The reliable European model suggests we could very well have some rain on Christmas, but that could easily change. Temperatures reach the 60s statewide by the end of the week.

ON THIS DATE IN 1811: An estimated Magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Mississippi Valley near the town of New Madrid in Missouri at 2:15 a.m. local time. People were awakened by the shaking in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina. The ground motions were described as most alarming and frightening in places like Nashville and Louisville. In the epicentral area, the ground surface was described as in great convulsion with sand and water ejected tens of feet into the air.

ON THIS DATE IN 2000: An EF4 tornado tore through southern Tuscaloosa, killing 11 people and injuring more than 100. Nine of the fatalities occurred in mobile homes, one in a vehicle and one in a commercial building converted to residential use. Ages ranged from 16 months to 83 years old. The tornado was on the ground for 18 miles, all within Tuscaloosa County. The path was estimated to be 750 yards wide at maximum intensity.

There was an excellent warning for the tornado issued at 12:40 p.m. on that deadly Saturday, 14 minutes before the twister first touched down in a rural area southwest of Tuscaloosa near the Black Warrior River. The tornado crossed Alabama 69 near Shelton State Community College and Hillcrest High School, destroying a shopping center and many homes. The Bear Creek Trailer Park was hit, where many of the deaths occurred. The tornado moved to the east-northeast, south of Skyland Boulevard, and finally crossed I-59/20 near the Cottondale exit.

Later in the day, the same parent storm dropped an F3 tornado that struck the Coats Bend region of Etowah County, near Gadsden, destroying 250 homes and injuring 14 people. Like the Tuscaloosa tornado, excellent warnings were issued by the National Weather Service long before the damage occurred.

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