Cooler air, rain headed to Triangle behind approaching front

A line of moderate to heavy showers and storms raced through the Triangle before dawn Thursday, soaking the roads in time for the morning commute. The showers were pushing toward the Virginia border by 6 a.m. and will continue to move north and east.

"We did have some showers move from south to north through our area, but they have moved into southern Virginia for the most part," Moss said. "We could see another shower or two today, but our rain chances will continue to diminish through the morning hours."

Temperatures were warm across the area Thursday morning, staring in the mid-50s and low 60s. Daytime highs will climb into the mid-70s, and some areas could see occasional sunshine during the afternoon hours.

Clouds will filter back into the region overnight as a cold front stretching from New England to Texas drifts through North Carolina, and rain and colder air will arrive behind it.

"Rain will be back with us overnight and early Friday as our front moves through, and our rain chances will stick with us for the bulk of the day," Moss sad.

Daytme highs Friday will be in the low 50s, about 20 degrees cooler than Thursday and about 10 to 15 degrees below normal for late March.

Temperatures will be even cooler on Saturday, when overnight lows will dip into the low 30s before daytime highs struggle to reach the 50s.

The story will be similar on Sunday, when overnight lows in the upper 20s will give way to daytime highs in the low 50s.

"We'll be bright and sunny to end the weekend, but we'll start with a freeze on Sunday morning, which is quite rare for this time of year," Moss said.