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BRIGHT START TO THE HOLIDAY WEEK: Believe it or not, we are in a slow warming trend. North and central Alabama will enjoy a bright, mild start to the holiday week. Monday will bring mostly sunny skies, with temperatures gradually moderating. Morning lows remain cold, dipping into the upper 20s to lower 30s, but afternoons will feature highs climbing into the 50s. Southeast winds will signal a transition to milder air, setting the stage for the midweek.

CHRISTMAS EVE, CHRISTMAS DAY SHOWERS: Christmas Eve will see mostly sunny skies for much of the day, though a few high clouds could reach the northwest corner of the state by the afternoon. Most areas will remain dry until around midnight, when a stray shower could pop up as moisture begins to increase. Highs on Tuesday will be in the 50s in the northeast part of the state and 60s in the southwest. On Christmas Day, expect mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers at times. Rainfall will be light, around 0.2 inch, and while it won’t disrupt most plans, it’s a good idea to have an umbrella handy. Morning lows on Christmas will be near 41 degrees, with afternoon highs reaching around 60 degrees under gentle southeast breezes. Highs on Christmas Day will be about like those of Tuesday, ranging from 52-57 degrees across the Tennessee Valley to 60-63 across north central Alabama to 65-66 in the U.S. 80 corridor.

LATER THIS WEEK: By Thursday, a few lingering showers may greet the morning, but skies should begin to clear gradually throughout the day. Temperatures will remain mild, with highs near 62 degrees. As we head into Friday, cooler air could creep into eastern Alabama due to an easterly wedge of high pressure. This will bring thicker clouds and keep highs in the lower 60s, with the coolest conditions east of I-65. Late Friday night, light showers may begin to develop in the northwest as the next system approaches.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: The weekend turns more unsettled as a robust system brings increasing chances of rain and thunderstorms. Saturday will be mostly cloudy, breezy and mild, with highs in the mid-60s. Showers and storms are likely to arrive late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Rain could be heavy at times, with totals potentially reaching 1.25 inches. While there’s a marginal risk for strong storms, details remain uncertain. Morning lows will stay in the mid-50s, with highs on Sunday near 66 degrees. Winds will be gusty, shifting from the southeast to the west as the system moves through.

LOOKING AHEAD: The weather pattern will continue as we head toward the final days of December. While temperatures are expected to remain above seasonal averages, additional storm systems could develop, keeping the weather dynamic.

RAINFALL: The models are overall predicting drier-than-normal conditions for the next two weeks.

ON THIS DATE IN 1956: In the early hours, a family of four small tornadoes carved a remarkable 121.7-mile path across south central Alabama. The tornadoes struck Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Lowndes, Montgomery, Elmore and Tallapoosa counties, beginning in Excel and skipping through Burnt Corn, Searcy, Fort Deposit, Pintlala, Snowdoun and Mt. Meigs before lifting near Reeltown.

Significant damage was reported along the path. In Excel, two homes and an auto repair shop were destroyed, with two residents rescued from the rubble. Burnt Corn experienced extensive damage to several homes. In Fort Deposit, a house and the bleachers at the high school football stadium were heavily damaged. The most severe destruction occurred in Mt. Meigs, where four homes were destroyed, hundreds of trees were uprooted and Christmas decorations were found scattered among the wreckage. This outbreak served as a somber reminder that tornadoes do not take holidays off in Alabama.

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