Rainy week ahead for Triangle, surrounding areas

Super Bowl Sunday was the last mild, sunny day the Triangle and surrounding areas may see for a while.

There are several active weather patterns that will bring a chance of rain to northern and central parts of the state for most of the week. 

The first system is a cold front moving in from the west that will crash temperatures and push rain into the region Monday.

Raleigh residents awoke Monday to mercury in the 50s. But that number will drop precipitously over the day as the front arrives, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.

"We're just talking about a couple of hours and our temperatures will drop as much as 15, even 20 degrees," she said. "Everybody will see the chill by later this evening."

By noon, Raleigh will hit a high of 62 degrees. By 6 p.m., the temperature will slide to 41.

More rain is expected Tuesday into Wednesday from a different front that will move in from the Gulf of Mexico.

"It looks wet for the weekend, too," Gardner said.

The only dry day in the forecast is Thursday, when it will partly cloudy with a high of 46 degrees.