Raleigh, N.C. — The showers that dampened central North Carolina Tuesday are a precursor of a cold front that promises heavy snow across the northeast but little for the Triangle. The storm will track along the Virginia line and off to the north and east Wednesday, said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.

Winds with sustained speeds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts of up to 40 mph will accompany the storm system. The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory for all of central North Carolina from 6 a.m. Wednesday through midnight.

Skies will be clear early Wednesday in the Triangle, but the colder air mass means there could be the occaisonal snow flake, hail stone or freezing raindrop as the bulk of the precipitation swirls off to the north.

Parts of the western North Carolina mountains could see three to six inches of snow. 

"If you head up into Virginia it will be a different story, with a foot or more of snow possible for the central and northern parts of that state," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.

"We shouldn't see any significant travel impact in our area," she said. "But again, if you're going to be traveling up into Virginia, this is a storm you need to pay attention to."

After brief sun pushed the high to almost 50 degrees Tuesday, temperatures fell through the afternoon. Roxboro saw about a quarter-inch of rain while about one-tenth of an inch accumulated at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. 

"We have more rain to come after a brief lull this evening," Maze said.

Sunshine will return Thursday, setting up shop for the latter half of the work week and weekend.

High temperatures will climb gradually, topping out in the mid-50s on the final two days of the work week before climbing into the low 60s over the weekend.