Clouds, showers could arrive Friday as front nears NC

Sunshine will be out across central and eastern North Carolina early Friday, but clouds – and eventually showers – will arrive for the weekend as a moisture-rich cold front sags toward the area.

"Enjoy today's sunshine and pleasant temperatures, because our forecast is a bit more cloudy for the next couple of days," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

Daytime highs Friday will reach the lows 80s.

Clouds will begin filtering into the Triangle after lunchtime, and sprinkles are possible by early evening. Areas north and west of the Triangle have a better chance to see rain, Gardner said.

"The rain showers will continue up near the Virginia border early Saturday, and then the entire front will shift southeast during the day," she said. "The timing of all this is a bit up in the air, but we could see rain in the Triangle from lunchtime through the evening."

Rainfall chances will peak at 30 to 40 percent from late afternoon through about midnight. High temperatures Saturday will climb into the upper 70s.

On Sunday, much of the area will stay cloudy as daytime highs struggle to reach 70 degrees. 

The wet pattern will stay put during the first part of next week, but by Thursday, the first day of the North Carolina State Fair, sunshine and cool temperatures will return.