Clear skies on the way as front sweeps through region

"It's all out of here by 5 o'clock," she said of the patchy rain moving from west to east across central North Carolina.

The sun was out early, and temperatures at 7:30 a.m. were some 10 to 15 degrees warmer than Monday's frigid start. But clouds rolled in ahead of the front, making for a dreary afternoon.

By noon, most of the rain ended west of Raleigh, although it was still raining east of the Capitol City.

"If you're about to head out the door, you probably need to take your umbrella, depending on where you are," Gardner said.

Some spots in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina were seeing wintry precipitation early Tuesday, but the Triangle will see a rain-only event as high temperatures are forecast to climb into the mid-50s. 

Skies will clear Tuesday evening, setting up beautiful weather on Wednesday and Thursday. High should top out around 50 degrees both days under sunny skies, and overnight lows will be in the upper 20s for much of the area. 

The next round of wet weather arrives Friday and could linger in the area for several days, Gardner said. 

"This is our cold-air-damming pattern that sets up sometimes in winter, and it can last for four or five days," she said.

Highs Friday will top out near 40 degrees before climbing back into the mid-50s during the weekend.