January could end up being wetter than average, if forecasts from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center hold true.

Wetter weather for Alabama is not a bad thing, with much of the state still in varying stages of drought:

The CPC issues various long-range outlooks for temperature and precipitation. Those outlooks suggest a mixed bag of weather for the state over the next few weeks.

In the more immediate future are the 6- to 10-day outlooks.

The 6- to 10-day temperature outlook is forecasting near average temperatures for the entire state:

The precipitation outlook, however, is forecasting 50-60 percent chances of above-normal precipitation for the state, with west Alabama having even higher probabilities — 60 to 70 percent:

The overall temperature outlook for all of January suggests there will be equal chances of above- or below-average temperatures for the entire state:

As for precipitation, the outlook for January suggests that Alabama has heightened chances for above-average rainfall, which increase as you head toward the Gulf Coast (that outlook is at the top of this post).

What about for the next few months?

The CPC also has thee-month outlooks. The temperature outlook for January, February and March shows equal chances of above-average or below-average temperatures for most of Alabama. The exception is the southeast corner of the state, which has a good chance of near-average temperatures:

The precipitation outlook remains on the soggier side for January through March:

South Alabama will again have the higher probabilities of wetter-than-average weather through March.