Heavy Rain Tonight to Be Followed by 'Bitter' Cold Winds

Conservative estimates show the area getting about 1/2 to 1 inch of rain this weekend.

"It will certainly make a small dent [in the drought]," Deaner said, noting that the area is at the highest rain deficit this year.

Following the rain, residents can expect chilly temperatures thanks to strong wind gusts moving through the area, with the strongest winds coming between 2 and 10 p.m. Sunday.

The National Weather Service has issued wind advisories for most of the state.

"Tomorrow is going to be bitter," Deaner said. "That wind's just going to rip us."

The area enjoyed some rain Saturday after seeing cloudy skies in the morning.

"[It] looks like we've got some moisture in motion that's going to coming into the area," WRAL Meteorologist Mike Moss said Saturday morning. "And we've got a pretty good chance at seeing some reasonable rainfall across the area tonight."

A storm system stretching from the central Plains states down to Texas was expected to move east and combine with a low pressure trough forming offshore Florida and southern Georgia to dump significant rain to North Carolina overnight Saturday.

That rain could be welcome news for North Carolina, where 78 of 100 counties were listed in exceptional drought conditions on Wednesday by the state Drought Management Advisory Council.

Raleigh had a rainfall deficit of 9.88 inches for the year by Saturday morning. The last time the capital city saw significant rainfall was Oct. 26, when 2.19 inches fell.

"We're closing in on 10 inches below normal for the year, but hopefully, we'll push that number back a little bit overnight," Moss said.