Sunny skies and warming temperatures are in the forecast for Alabama for much of this week, according to the National Weather Service.

Expect temperatures increase through mid-week, with highs across the state in the high 60s and 70s by Wednesday and Thursday. Those are expected to be the warmest days of the week, according to forecasters.

Here is the forecast for Wednesday:

Here is Thursday’s forecast:

The next chance for rain for Alabama will arrive on Thursday into Friday, according to the weather service, as a cold front moves across the state. Rain could reach north Alabama by Thursday afternoon into the evening hours and push southward overnight while lessening in coverage.

The weather service expects rain amounts to be on the lighter side for north and central parts of the state. The seven-day precipitation outlook (shown at the top of this post) doesn’t show any rain at all for south Alabama during that timeframe.

No severe weather is in the forecast for Alabama for the next week, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center.

Thursday’s front could bring a few claps of thunder, according to the weather service, but strong storms are not looking likely at this point.

Will there be a cooldown after the front passes through? The weather service expects temperatures to stay on the warm side, with highs on Friday forecast to stay in the 60s and 70s statewide:

The long-range outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center suggests an increased probability of above-average temperatures for Alabama through the end of the month, with northwest Alabama having the highest chances:

The CPC is also forecasting near-average precipitation for the northern half of Alabama during that timeframe. South Alabama has higher probabilities of below-average rainfall, however: