Chill could reach record proportions by week's end

Although the precipitation moves out Tuesday afternoon, daily high temperatures won't get much above the freezing mark any day this week, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

Any ice on the roads is unlikely to completely clear, and wet roads will have the opportunity to re-freeze every night this week.

Protect home, pets in cold weather

On Wednesday, high temperatures will be in the low- to mid-30s, and wind gusts may reach around 30 mph at times. 

On Thursday and Friday, the high for the day will only reach the 20s and lows could dip to the single digits, Gardner said.

"High pressure moves back in Thursday, but so does a fresh shot of arctic air," Gardner said.

"The record high for the date is 31 from 1903, so if temperatures do end up this cold, we'll break the old records by a wide margin."

With weather that cold, any ice that melts during the sun of the day will have a chance to re-freeze after dark, creating the chance for slick roads every day this week.

There is an ever-so-slight warm-up in the weekend forecast, when temperatures could finally crack the 40 degree mark. That relief comes with the return of rain, though. Showers are possible across the state on Sunday.