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Holiday forecast: damp, cooler weather here; snow in mountains

A stationary cold front and one-two punch of precipitation over the next 48 hours will likely slow Thanksgiving travel for many across central and eastern North Carolina, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

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Snow potential through Thanksgiving
RALEIGH, N.C. — A stationary cold front and one-two punch of precipitation over the next 48 hours will likely slow Thanksgiving travel for many across central and eastern North Carolina, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

A line of showers moved through the Triangle overnight, and it could linger just east of Raleigh through the commute hours Tuesday morning. Rain will likely taper off during the afternoon, but clouds will stay put.

"Western parts of the Triangle may not see much rain today, but we have seen plenty of precipitation to our south and east," Gardner said. "By tonight, a larger area of rain will start to back up into the area thanks to this front."

Temperatures were in the low 60s at 6 a.m. Tuesday, but they will fall gradually throughout the day, settling into the low 50s by the evening commute.

By 10 or 11 p.m. Tuesday, rain will begin to make its way back toward the central part of the state.

"We'll see rain arrive overnight, and it's going to stay with us throughout the morning commute and the bulk of the day," Gardner said.

Temperatures will be much cooler on Wednesday, topping out in the mid-40s during the afternoon.

For those traveling north or west for the holiday, snow could be an issue in the North Carolina mountains, central Virginia and other points up the East Coast.

Western North Carolina counties could see 1 to 4 inches of snow during the next 48 hours, while parts of Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and the northeast could see 6 to 10 inches.

Alleghany, Ashe, Watagua, Avery, Mitchell, Buncombe, Cherokee, Haywood, Jackson, Transylvania and Yancey counties are under winter storm advisories or winter storm warnings from 9 p.m. Tuesday through 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Skies will begin to clear late in the day Wednesday across the central part of the state, allowing more sunshine to build in for Thanksgiving day.

Highs on the holiday will once again be in the mid-and upper-40s.

Black Friday will be clear and cold across the Triangle. Holiday shoppers will be greeted by lows in the upper 20s, and daytime highs will top out near 45 degrees.

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