Raleigh, N.C. — Although the first official day of spring is still three weeks away, Friday is the start of what scientists call the meteorological spring.

The term is supposed to signify a noticeable change in the weather as the harshest 90 days of winter come to an end. But residents in the Triangle won’t feel any warm, spring-like temperatures for a while.

“The current outlook is a chance of cooler than normal conditions for the next two weeks,” WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

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Friday’s forecast calls for a high of 52 degrees and an overnight low of 33. Skies will be sunny in the morning, but clouds will build in the afternoon, said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.

Those temperatures remain about the same for the next five days, fluctuating by only a few degrees.

Spring officially starts March 20, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Although it’s not yet sandal-wearing weather, it seems unlikely that the Triangle will see any more serious snow.

“There could be a few flurries Friday evening,” Gardner said. “We’re looking at the potential for a little bit of snow Saturday night, but it wouldn’t be enough for any accumulations.”

A system moving east over the Pacific Ocean off the western U.S. coast could bring some snow to our region next Wednesday, but it is too early to tell what effect, if any, it will have on North Carolina, Maze said.

There’s more good weather news: The Triangle this week has moved out of the “moderate drought” category into “abnormally dry.”

Gardner said February’s excessive rainfall is the reason. Slightly more than 4 inches of precipitation has fallen during the past month. It has rained 14 out of the last 28 days.

Lee and Moore counties remain under moderate drought.