Cooler air moves in Thursday, but stormy days are ahead next week

The weather will change on Thursday, bringing a chance of light showers and cool down. A stronger storm system will hit Alabama next week with a risk of some severe storms. Check the video forecast for the latest. THURSDAY AND FRIDAYWednesday's weather was phenomenal around Alabama. Birmingham's 78 degrees was close to a record high temperature, but a cold front moves in Thursday with some clouds, showers, and a reality check. The thermometer will be about 10 to 15 degrees lower Thursday afternoon with temperatures hanging in the middle 60s.Friday promises to be a nice late February day after a cold morning. North Alabama could see some frost in the usual cold pockets, but most of Central Alabama only cools to the upper 30s by sunrise.Full sunshine on Friday warms the air quickly, though. Expect a mild day with a high between 65 and 70 degrees and a gentle southwest breeze.WEEKEND COLD FRONT COMINGSaturday morning will begin chilly, but temperatures will rise in the afternoon, reaching between 65 and 70 degrees. A noticeable west-northwest breeze, gusting over 20 miles per hour, will accompany the warm-up.Another cold front arrives Saturday night, and that makes it cooler for Sunday.Many communities in North Alabama may stay in the 40s all day Sunday while Birmingham and Tuscaloosa hit the 50s.  IMPACT DAYS: TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAYNext week brings our next chance of impactful rain, and some strong storms could come along with it.“Impact Day” means that the weather will be disruptive to your normal routine, and a storm system brings both some disruptive wind and some threat of severe storms on March 4 and 5.On Monday, chilly air will be escaping to the east as warm, humid air tries to replace it. The strong high that pushed the cool air in on Sunday will be sliding off the East Coast, and that will put Alabama in a favorable spot for a "return flow" of moisture from the Gulf early in the week.By Tuesday, a strong wave in the jet stream spins up an area of low pressure in the Southern Plains, and it heads for the South with widespread rain and thunderstorms from Tuesday into Wednesday.Timing will be difficult to nail down until we are closer to Tuesday, but as of now, we expect that the highest potential for rain and storms will be late Tuesday into early Wednesday (March 4-5).The over all risk of severe storms (58 mph wind gusts, quarter-sized hail, or tornadoes) will also need to be evaluated over the next few days. There is far too much uncertainty to know for sure exactly how this will evolve. In all, we expect around one-half to one inch of total rainfall in the next seven to 10 days.For Alabama's certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram.