Cloudy skies, dry ground usher in Raleigh New Year's celebrations

After days of above-normal temperature, the chill is finally here--but it's not sticking around for the new year.

Posted 10:39 a.m. Dec 30, 2016 — Updated 2:10 a.m. Jan 1, 2017

RALEIGH, N.C. — Despite freezing morning temperatures, the air around the Triangle warmed up enough in the evening to make outside New Year's Eve celebrations bearable. The City of Oaks will experience temperatures in the mid-40s for the rest of the night.

"We're going to see a lot of clouds this New Years Eve with little to no rain," WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said. "We're expecting a generally uneventful night with respect to the weather, which is good news if you're outside."

The temperature will hold for the First Night Raleigh celebration and Acorn Drop from about 7 p.m. all the way through midnight, Johnson said.

The skies will be mostly cloudy, but it will remain dry. Rain will begin to move in on Sunday, and that pattern will continue through the day.

"Tomorrow, though, is shaping up to be fairly wet as this system moves in, bringing us a decent chance of som rain—and some much-needed rain, in fact," Johnson said.

Sunday should be cool with a high of about 50.

"There may be a few patches of light rain throughout the area, especially in our southern counties, but nothing substantial until late in the afternoon," Fishel said.

The first week of the year should be sunny and partly cloudy with temperatures in the 40s and 50s and little to no rain.

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