After Friday's Rain, 'Guilt-Free' Weekend Weather on Tap

"It’s almost like a guilt-free forecast,"  WRAL Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "We had this nice round of rain today, and then we can sort of enjoy our sunshine and mild temperatures over the weekend, especially because we might have a few more light, spotty showers on Monday."

More than 0.8 inch of rain was recorded at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, while Burlington topped an inch and more than 1.5 inches fell in Roanoke Rapids. Less rain fell to the south, with Fayetteville recording about a half-inch and Lumberton less than a quarter-inch. In the west, Ashville reported getting 1.8 inches.

"(It was) definitely a worthwhile weather event," WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said.

A cold front had pushed the rain through the Triangle by mid-afternoon, ushering in winds from the southwest and mild temperatures for the weekend.

Friday's high temperature reached 60 degrees in Raleigh, and forecasts called for highs in the low to mid-60s on Saturday and Sunday.

The region could see some sprinkles on Monday and again Wednesday, Fishel said.

The rain came one day after Raleigh's rainfall deficit, calculated since January 2007, hit 10 inches for the first time. After the rain, the deficit stood at 9.3 inches.

January 2008 was the fourth-driest January on record for the Triangle, Fishel said, noting that three of the five driest Januarys for the region have occurred since 2001.