Back to the task at hand. That task is trying to figure out when the rain begins, when it will end and how much we will get. Our friend, the Gulf of Mexico, is directing this project. A low-pressure area is already forming over the NW Gulf. It is destined to move NE passing south of the Mississippi-Alabama coast Saturday and into South Mississippi or SW Alabama Sunday morning. This is the perfect scenario to send a shield of rain north eastward across Alabama. For North-Central Alabama, including the Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Anniston area, we are projecting over ½ inch of rain Saturday and an additional 1/3 inch Sunday morning. The rain should taper off and move out of the way by Sunday afternoon leaving Monday completely dry. We will introduce a few showers, however, again on Tuesday. With the thick deck of clouds and the rain, we have lowered the high for tomorrow to 59—otherwise to the low 60s through the rest of the weekend.

FOOTBALL WEATHER: Could not ask for better weather for high school football playoff games tonight. There are numerous games all over the state. The temperature will be in the 50s at kick off and close to 48 or 50 at the final whistle. College games on Saturday include Chattanooga at Alabama at 11:20. It will be mostly cloudy with intermittent rain, especially during the second half. Game-time temperatures may start off at 58 and warming a degree or so. UAB is in Greenville, North Carolina to play East Carolina. They should have dry weather with 65 degrees at kick off at 2:30.

LAST NIGHT IN ALABAMA: Low temperatures dropped several degrees lower than we expected, which is not unusual when you have a clear sky and variable light winds. We have one report from an official NWS Cooperative Observer of 25 in Lafayette. Our 33/40 Skywatchers reported 30 at Scrougeout and Muscadine. Heaviest frost so far this season for Muscadine. It was 29 in Cottondale; 31 in Scottsboro, Belle Mina, Dora and Addison; 33 in Ft. Payne and Jasper.

ROAMING NORTH AMERICA: It is always interesting to sit at my desk and look out across the great North American landscape. Of course, I cannot see very far except by use of a computer. Not only do we have that low-pressure area forming off the lower Texas coast, but we have plenty of cold weather in the Far North. Some big snows have occurred in the last couple of days in the Pacific Northwest. In the high country, the snow continues to pile up by the feet. In Alaska, the coldest I could find this morning was 45 below zero at Bettles. In the lower 48, the coldest was 7 below zero at Laramie, Wyoming where I once had some of the best pancakes ever. Warmest yesterday was 86 at Miami.

MY TINY CORNER OF THE WORLD: Saw a news item this morning saying if your spouse has a high IQ, that the other spouse would live longer. The majority owner has an IQ much higher than mine and so does my puppy, Little Miss Molly. Maybe that means I will live as long as Noah who was 400 years old when he built the ark. I wish I had the memory of Little Miss Molly. After she jumped that rabbit two days ago, every time we walk for another week or so, she will go straight to that spot in the thick hedgerow, stick her head all the way in it to see if that rabbit is at home. Life goes on.....