DRY FRONT: A dry cold front will bring noticeably cooler air into Alabama and the Deep South today. Highs will be in the 70s for most of the state with a cool north breeze. Our coldest mornings this week will come early Wednesday and Thursday, when much of north Alabama will dip into the 30s for the first time this season. Frost advisories will be needed, and some of the colder pockets could be close to freezing. Highs will be in the 60s for much of the state Wednesday and Thursday, about 10-15 degrees below average. Dry air means sunny days and clear nights through the week.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: Dry weather continues; expect sunshine in full supply Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 70s. And the long dry spell continues through next week.

Most of Alabama has not seen a drop of rain for the entire month of October; the last measurable rain at Birmingham was on Sept. 28, and the total that day was only 0.01 inch. The last significant rain was on Sept. 25, when the total was 0.61 inch. Could we go through the entire month of October with no rain?

This is the driest month of the year based on climatology, and it has happened before. Birmingham had no rain at all in October 1924, and just a trace in October 2016.

October brought less than a quarter of an inch in these years:

• 1938 — 0.05 inch
• 1991 — 0.07
• 1963 — 0.11
• 1939 — 0.17
• 1953 — 0.21
• 1978 — 0.22
• 1901 — 0.23
• 1904 — 0.24

Our tornado season begins in November (it runs through May), so we usually see frequent big rain events increasing then.

TROPICS: A well-defined area of low pressure (Invest 94L) several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing minimal showers and thunderstorms. This system is embedded in an unfavorable environment and development is not anticipated over the next couple of days. However, this system is forecast to move generally westward to west-southwestward, and environmental conditions could become more favorable for gradual development by the middle to latter part of this week.

A tropical depression could form as the system begins moving west-northwestward and approaches or moves near the Leeward Islands by the end of this week. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 40% chance of developing over the next seven days, and it is too early to know whether it will get into the Gulf of Mexico or affect any part of the U.S. coast.

ON THIS DATE IN 1909: An F3 tornado struck Pittsburg Landing and Stantonville, Tennessee, killing 23 people and injuring 80 others.

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

Alabama football has another SEC rivalry game ahead Saturday afternoon.

The No. 7 Crimson Tide will travel to Knoxville for a date with No. 10 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium for its annual “Third Saturday in October” game. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

Alabama has dominated the rivalry as of late. The Crimson Tide has 60 wins in 106 meetings including Alabama’s vacated win against the Volunteers in 2005. Alabama has beaten Tennessee 16 of their last 17 meetings. The Volunteers broke the Crimson Tide win streak with a 52-49 win at Neyland Stadium in 2022.

Here is the broadcast information for Alabama-Tennessee Saturday, and how to watch the “Third Saturday in October.’

What channel is Alabama football vs Tennessee game on?

The Alabama-Tennessee game will be shown on ABC and available for streaming on platforms such as Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Alabama football vs Tennessee start time

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
• Time: 2:30 p.m.
• Location: Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tennessee

Alabama will kick off against Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. Saturday from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Alabama vs Tennessee spread

Here is the initial betting information for Alabama vs. Tennessee Saturday.

Note: Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, Oct. 13

Alabama football schedule 2024

• Aug. 31: Alabama 63, Western Kentucky 0
• Sept. 7: Alabama 42, South Florida 16
• Sept. 14: Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10
• Sept. 28: Alabama 41, Georgia 34
• Oct. 5: Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 35
• Oct. 12: Alabama 27, South Carolina 25
• Oct. 19: Alabama at Tennessee; 2:30 p.m., ABC
• Oct. 26: Alabama vs. Missouri
• Nov. 9: Alabama at LSU
• Nov. 16: Alabama vs. Mercer; 1 p.m., SEC Network
• Nov. 23: Alabama at Oklahoma
• Nov. 30: Alabama vs. Auburn

Tennessee football schedule 2024

• Aug. 31: Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3
• Sept. 7: Tennessee 51, NC State 10
• Sept. 14: Tennessee 71, Kent State 0
• Sept. 21: Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15
• Oct. 5: Arkansas 19, Tennessee 14
• Oct. 12: Tennessee 23, Florida 17 OT
• Oct. 19: Tennessee vs. Alabama; 2:30 p.m., ABC
• Nov. 2: Tennessee vs. Kentucky
• Nov. 9: Tennessee vs. Mississippi State
• Nov. 16: Tennessee at Georgia
• Nov. 23: Tennessee vs. UTEP; 12 p.m., SEC Network+/ESPN+
• Nov. 30: Tennessee at Vanderbilt

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Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Alabama survived a nail-biter against South Carolina, while Tennessee emerged victorious over Florida in overtime. Both programs bounced back from a loss the previous week.

Now they’re set to square off at Neyland Stadium this weekend in a game that ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum called a playoff elimination game.

“Absolutely, because for Alabama all the goodwill from — I’m speaking committee wise now, because I’m just depending on the people that actually know this stuff — this would almost count as a third loss,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “Because they’re not giving them any credit for beating South Carolina. So you look at that and go ‘yeah,’ but then I’ll leave the rest of the schedule on the other side. But to me it would be a cataclysmic loss.”

Alabama’s schedule on the other side?

It includes games against No. 19 Missouri and a road trip to No. 8 LSU. There’s also a road trip to Oklahoma and a home date with rival Auburn.

Not an unmanageable stretch, but a difficult one. And if Alabama hopes to make the College Football Playoff, it probably needs to make it through that slate with one loss at maximum.

The situation is similar for Tennessee on the other side.

“Then if Tennessee can win then I think they’re back in the conversation very easily, but I think the loser is probably going to pack it in,” Finebaum said. “Because Tennessee will still have Georgia left. They’ve got a couple other games and we’ve already gone over the Alabama schedule, which is prickly.”

Tennessee’s schedule includes a game at No. 5 Georgia. Other than that it’s manageable, though a road trip to Vanderbilt to close out the slate could prove slippery.

In any case, this weekend’s contest looms large. Whether it’s Alabama or Tennessee emerging victorious, the prospect of becoming a College Football Playoff team will remain. The loser can probably kiss those hopes goodbye.