WARMER: Temperatures are mostly in the 60s across Alabama with a mix of sun and clouds; we note a few small showers over the southern quarter of the state. We will mention the chance of a few isolated showers statewide tonight as moisture levels continue to rise.

WET WEEKEND: A dynamic storm system will push rain and storms into Alabama over the weekend. Our forecast will include the chance of a few scattered showers Saturday, but a decent part of the day will be dry. The sky will feature more clouds than sun, and temperatures reach the low 70s in many places by afternoon. An organized band of thunderstorms will arrive Saturday night; the Storm Prediction Center has defined a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) of severe thunderstorms for the northwest counties of the state, and a marginal risk (level 1) for most of the rest of Alabama.

A positive tilt to the upper trough, limited surface-based instability and marginal storm-relative helicity values should help to keep the overall severe-weather threat limited. Here are the key messages for the storms:

• The main risk for strong to severe thunderstorms across Alabama will come from around 9 Saturday night through 6 a.m. Sunday. A few storms could linger across southeast Alabama through mid-morning Sunday.
• The primary threat will come from strong, gusty thunderstorm winds. A brief, isolated tornado can’t be ruled out, especially in the slight-risk area across northwest Alabama, but it isn’t likely.
• Gradient winds (not related to thunderstorms) out of the south will average 15-25 mph, with possible gusts to 30 mph before the line of storms passes through.
• Rain amounts will be 1-2 inches for much of the state.

Rain will end from northwest to southeast Sunday morning. Much colder air rolls into the state Sunday; temperatures will settle into the 40s over the northern two-thirds of the state and stay there through the day. A brisk northeast wind will make it feel colder. The sky should be clear by mid to late afternoon.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: The final Super 7 high school championship game will be played in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium tonight, the 6A game between Clay-Chalkville and Saraland. The sky will be mostly cloudy with just an outside risk of a brief shower during the game. Temperatures will be in the 50s.

ON THIS DATE IN 1935: From the Monthly Weather Review for December 1935, “The outstanding flood of December 1935 was the record-breaking overflow of Buffalo and White Oak Bayous at Houston, Texas, on the 8th and 9th. This destructive flood was caused by excessive rainfall over Harris County, Texas, during a 42-hour period on the 6th, 7th (and) 8th, with amounts ranging from 5.5 inches at Houston” to 16.49 inches at the Humble Oil Company in northwestern Harris County.

ON THIS DATE IN 2017: Significant snow fell across a large portion of central Alabama along a southwest-to-northeast axis on Dec. 8-9. Within the main corridor of snow, totals of 4 to 8 inches were common, with a few swaths of 8 to 12 inches. A few reports exceeding 12 inches were received: one 15-inch report in Delta (Clay County) and two 13-inch reports in Cleburne County. While public reports are considered unofficial, values were fairly consistent and tend to indicate this event was a top-tier-ranking snowstorm for some locations in east Alabama. Birmingham officially recorded 4 inches of snow, making it the third-snowiest December on record.

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