Some 70s in the forecast ahead of wind, rain, and storms this week

A cold front brings wind, rain and some storms to Alabama late Thursday night and Friday, but we get a nice warmup before the rain moves into the state. Check the video forecast for the latest.EVEN WARMER THURSDAYBirmingham finally hit the 60s again on Wednesday after having a stretch of eleven straight days of colder than normal weather.Sixties are not all that uncommon this time of year even though our “average” temperature is in the middle 50s. We will be feeling a lot more days like this going forward, and it will get even warmer on Thursday.Thursday morning will start out chilly and dry in the 40s, but it will get nice and warm in the afternoon. Expect daytime highs in the middle 60s for most of North and Central Alabama, but it would not be out of the question to see some 70s around Tuscaloosa, Centreville, Clanton, Demopolis, Montgomery, and points south to the coast.IMPACT WEATHER FRIDAYWe use the term “Impact” when the weather will cause some disruption to normal routines.A strong storm system drags a cold front into Alabama bringing wind, rain, and some storms late Thursday night through Friday morning. TIMING: We expect wind gusts over 35 mph between 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday, potentially tipping over garbage cans, patio furniture, and other lightweight outdoor items. This could also cause a few sporadic power outages if tree branches fall on utility lines.During this period, a band of rain and locally heavy thunderstorms will move through North and Central Alabama, affecting the Birmingham area between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Friday.IMPACTS: The primary impacts will be wind gusts over 35 miles per hour and a few heavy thunderstorms. The Storm Prediction Center outlines a threat of severe weather southwest of Alabama on Thursday. SPC also highlights a lower end risk of a few severe storms over southeastern Alabama on Friday.Most of the impactful weather occurs before 10 a.m. Friday, and the rest of the day will be cloudy and mild with temperatures hovering in the upper 50s to lower 60s.WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOKThis weekend promises to bring some of the finest weather Alabama has had in quite some time.You can look forward to cool mornings in the 40s and pleasant afternoons in the 60s on both Saturday and Sunday.WATCHING THE ARCTIC AGAINAlabama’s medium range outlook into next week has some built-in uncertainty, and it all has to do with a ridge over Florida and the Gulf through the first two weeks of February.That ridge will have the potential to block any major, long-lasting Arctic intrusions into the southern United States, but it may not be able to shield us from every single push of colder weather.A pattern like this usually means that we will have some brief bouts of cold in what will generally be a mild setup through at least Valentines Day.Next week will be a perfect example of that with highs near 70 degrees on Monday followed by an Arctic front that just cannot quite push all the way into Alabama on Tuesday and Wednesday. That will leave us in a state of limbo with some clouds, a chance of some showers, and temperatures that skyrocket to the 70s for part of the state while others stay in the 50s (or get even colder). Alabama's certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram.