Raleigh, N.C. — Santa Claus will likely see just a few showers as he passes through the North Carolina night sky on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day should be largely dry in the Triangle, WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said.

"It should be a pretty nice, mild Christmas Day," Maze said. The sun will peak through the clouds and temperatures will top out in the high 50s.

Parts of Alabama and Louisiana may not be so lucky. There's an elevated risk for long-track tornadoes, cyclones that stay on the ground a long time, in the deep south on Christmas Day, Maze said.

In central North Carolina, the rains will return after dark on Tuesday and the intensity of storms will increase through the day Wednesday ahead of a cold front that will push temperatures below freezing by the end of the week. 

"Wednesday just has the potential to be a nasty, spring-like, stormy weather day," Maze said.

The forecast calls for blustery winds, some thunderstorms and the possibility of up to 1.5 inches of rain Wednesday before the front passes.

Behind it, the sun returns and dry weather will prevail, but daytime highs will barely reach 50 degrees and the overnight lows will be below freezing.