A near-record high of 76 in Cullman County on Monday, Jan. 2 and a chance of snow flurries on Friday. Welcome to winter in the South.

The second day of the New Year brought with it unseasonably warm temperatures as motorists around town could be seen driving with their windows down, while short-sleeves instead of heavy overcoats were more appropriate attire for the day.

James McCravy of Hanceville, a national weather service cooperative weather observer, recorded a high of 76 on Monday, which is more than 20 degrees warmer than the norm temperature this time of year.

“The normal high average for this time of year is between 50 and 55 degrees. We were 20 degrees above that,” McCravy said. “I heard the National Weather Service report that several areas of the state would see record or near-record temperatures. I haven’t checked back to see how our high here compares with other highs reported on Jan. 2, but I think it would be safe to say that our 76 would be close to, if not, a record for this time of year.”

A high of 76 is more normal for mid-May than early January, so why the unexpected heat wave? McCravy says a quick, two word response is “Jet Stream.”

“As of late afternoon Monday there were still two areas of severe weather in our vicinity. One involves a thunderstorm just south of Atlanta, which analyst say is capable of producing tornadoes. There is also another zone connected with the same storm system in Kentucky and Illinois,” McCravy said. “What has occurred around here is that beginning at mid-morning the jet stream has been right over the state of Alabama. The jet stream has brought with it a massive amount of dry air and because of that we haven’t experienced the severe weather other areas have.”

That’s the good news, McCravy said. The bad news is that the near summer-like conditions won’t last. In fact, not only won’t they last, weather forecasters are predicting a return to sub-freezing temperatures by the weekend and even a chance of snow flurries on Friday morning.

The following is this week’s extended forecast as reported by the National Weather’s Service’s Huntsville office:

‰ Today: Partly cloudy, with a high around 56. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.

‰ Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

‰ Wednesday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 64. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.

‰ Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

‰ Thursday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 53.

‰ Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low near 33.

‰ Friday: Scattered sprinkles and flurries before noon, then scattered sprinkles. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 44.

‰ Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

‰ Saturday: Partly cloudy, with a high around 45.

‰ Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

‰ Sunday: Partly cloudy, with a high around 51.

‰ Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low near 38.