By Chelsea Vance | The Selma Times-Journal

Those dreaming of a white Christmas will be sorely disappointed this year. The forecast instead calls for near-record high temperatures, several inches of rain and the threat of severe weather.

“The good news is that it is going to be unusually warm for this time of year. There is no threat of any cold weather or any winter weather,” said John De Block, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “However, with that comes the possibility of some thunderstorms and some tornadoes.”

On Tuesday, unstable air will push northward from the Gulf of Mexico, setting up the possibility of severe thunderstorms mainly in the southern parts of the state. There, damaging winds up to 60 miles an hour will be possible from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A second, more potent round of severe weather will be Wednesday from noon through midnight.

The bulk of the tornado threat will be north and roughly along Interstate 59 from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Fort Payne.

Rain totals of two to three inches are possible for Dallas County this week. Some areas in northwest Alabama could receive up to five inches.

Less severe thunderstorms could hang around into Christmas Eve. Record warmth is being forecast for Christmas Day with a high of 74F for Birmingham.

Check selmatimesjournal.com this week for any severe weather watches or warnings for Dallas County.