Clear, cool for Christmas weekend

Triangle residents enjoyed a last sunny, balmy day Friday when temperatures pushed close to 70 degrees and bright sun shone down. It was unusually warm for Dec. 23.

"I'm sweating a little bit," said Bryan Canada, a Pennsylvanian who spent Friday at Fayetteville's Arnette Park.

"We have all our traditions we do to get us in the mood, no matter what the weather is, but we have to work a little harder this year," he said.

WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said the passing cold front would bring temperatures back to their seasonable normals -- the mid 50s -- for  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Saturday will start out sunny, but the clouds will increase through the afternoon. Skies are dry for Santa's flight overnight, and sunrise on Christmas Day is at 7:23 a.m.

The holiday should be dry, breezy and mostly cloudy.  

Matt Peanor said his dreams of a "White Christmas" were satisfied with last year's series of snowfalls. "I think last year was enough for me," he said.

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The next chance for showers does not reach the Triangle until Tuesday, Maze said.