The threat for severe weather is back across North Alabama. The details are still being ironed out in regard to timing. At this point, know that there's a risk for damaging wind, a few tornadoes, hail, and especially flooding with Saturday's storms.

In the meantime, savor the sunshine Wednesday. Temperatures start near freezing, so frost is likely to start the day. With plenty of sunshine, temperatures climb to 60 degrees during the afternoon. It's a similar situation Thursday, but the clouds increase through the day. With a strong south wind Friday, temperatures nudge into the upper 60s. Showers are expected too, mainly increasing in coverage through the afternoon. We keep that rain and a few storms overnight into Saturday.

The severe threat begins to materialize as the day progresses Saturday. There's at least the possibility we see severe storms as early as late morning, but the more consistent model forecasts are leaning toward afternoon and evening storms. Storms ahead of a the "main line" later Saturday can be severe, too. We're talking about this risk so far in advance because it's rare for the Storm Prediction Center to issue a severe storm outlook 6 days in advance of an event in January. Given how the past few weeks have gone, we are working to give you a heads up as soon as possible. It will be absolutely necessary to check back in on the forecast through the next few days as the details in timing and threats become clearer.

A brief mention of rain: Friday through Saturday's system is expected to bring between over 2 inches of rain in some parts. Thereafter, the rain forecast early next week can bring as much as an additional 2 to 3 inches of rain on already saturated ground, so the flooding risk will be monitored in the coming days as well.