Raleigh, N.C. — A brief stint of mild temperatures came to a quick end Tuesday morning as a cold front moved in from the west, bringing a blast of chilly air and rain showers to central and eastern North Carolina. 

After a start near 60 degrees before dawn, the thermostat was reading 49 degrees at Raleigh-Durham International Airport by 1 p.m. 

"Cold air is just to the north and west and it will continue to filter into the area pretty quickly," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. 

Rain associated with the front won't be heavy, but spotty showers were falling across the Triangle by early afternoon, and some could linger in the central part of the state into the evening. 

"We'll have enough rain to cause some issues on the roadways," Gardner said. "Many of them are wet, so you may want to plan some extra time as you drive around today."

As the front clears, temperatures will dip into the mid-30s overnight, a few degrees below normal for mid-November.

High temperatures will hover in the 50s for the rest of the work week, climbing to as high as 59 on Friday, as partly sunny weather settles in.

Weather for the 2012 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade, presented by the Shop Local Raleigh, will be pleasant but chilly, with temperatures in the low 40s when the parade begins at 10 a.m.