Raleigh, N.C. — Sunshine returned Thursday morning to central North Carolina as a cold front pushed off the east coast, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. By late afternoon, temperatures should recover into the mid-50s, and that is just a preview of a warmer weekend on the way.

Many Triangle communities saw temperatures dip toward the freezing mark overnight. The wind and rain that lingered from Wednesday combined to make for a miserable, bitterly cold morning. By lunchtime skies had cleared but the cold remained. The thermometer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport read 46 degrees at noon. Slideshow     Weather maps and cams

As the sun sets Thursday evening, temperatures will fall quickly under clear skies and settle in the upper 20s overnight.

Despite the below-freezing temperatures, conditions early Friday morning will be ideal for viewing the Geminid meteor shower, which will peak after midnight with as many as 120 meteors falling per hour. 

Highs will peak in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees Friday afternoon, and highs over the weekend will climb back into the 60s. 

"Our temperatures are up and down right now, and we'll see that drastic change over the weekend," Gardner said. "Some places could get close to 70 degrees Sunday."

Clouds will build in gradually beginning Saturday, and the next chance for rain showers arrives Monday and Tuesday.