The Triangle will taste both spring and winter over the next 72 hours, as temperatures whiplash from warm 70s to close to freezing.
Thursday strikes that middle ground: Sunny, clear skies, highs around 60 degrees, dipping into the 40s overnight. After that, the ride begins, said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.
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Friday warms up all the way to 73 degrees, and the early hours of Saturday will be warm as well. "Don't be fooled," Gardner said. "Saturday will be nice in the morning, but downright frigid by late afternoon."
A cold front moving through North Carolina Saturday will send temperatures crashing – from the 60s in the Triangle around lunchtime to near freezing by about 5 p.m.
"We're going to have a very, very quick and dramatic drop in our temperatures in the Triangle during the day Saturday," Gardner said.
All the while, there is a chance of a chilly rain. Showers will begin around noon in the Triangle and will intensify into the evening.
Along the Virginia border, there is a chance that some of that precipitation could take the form of wet snow. "It could accumulate on grass, but this is not likely anything that causes any travel problems," Gardner said.
Farther north, Richmond, Va., and Washington, D.C., could see measurable snow through Saturday night.
Sunday will start out near freezing for those gathered in downtown Raleigh for the Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon. The rain will have moved out of the area.
"It'll be chilly, but at least it won't be precipitating," said WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel.
The rest of Sunday stays dry and cool before rain chances return for Monday.