RADAR CHECK: Rain continues over southeast Alabama this afternoon; a few thunderstorms are involved, but the Storm Prediction Center has removed the marginal risk of severe storms. The sky has cleared over northwest Alabama, but an upper trough will bring a few scattered showers to the northern half of the state this evening. All of the rain should be over by midnight.

THE WEEKEND: Expect dry weather over the weekend with mostly sunny, pleasant days and fair, cool nights. Highs will be in the 60s Saturday and between 67 and 73 degrees Sunday.

NEXT WEEK: It will be the warmest week so far this year, feeling more like April with highs in the 70s. In fact, we will be flirting with record highs on a few days. Global models have trended drier; a few spotty showers are possible during the latter half of the week, but the most widespread rain will likely hold north of Alabama. Some cooler air begins to return around Feb. 10-11, but there is still no evidence of any Arctic blast like we experienced earlier this month.

ON THIS DATE IN 1989: The barometric pressure at Norway, Alaska, reached 31.85 inches (1,078.4 millibars), establishing an all-time record for the North American continent. The temperature at the time of the record was about 46 degrees below zero. The severe Arctic cold began to invade the north-central U.S. The temperature at Grand Fall, Montana, plunged 85 degrees in 36 hours.

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