Chilly Friday precedes weekend warm-up

Highs Friday will only climb into the low to mid 50s, making a coat a necessary item at Veterans Day celebrations across the area. The annual Veterans Day parade begins in Raleigh at 9:30 and is followed by a wreath laying ceremony on the north side of the North Carolina Capitol grounds at 11 a.m.  

"We made it to Friday morning but boy is it cold out there," Gardner said. "Overnight last night this cold air came filtering in thanks to a northerly wind. It's definitely going to give us a very cool start to the day."

Temperatures will drop to near 40 by the time football playoff games begin Friday and should bottom out in the mid 30s heading into Saturday morning.  

A high pressure system will keep skies clear Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will help facilitate an increase in high temperatures throughout the weekend and into the first part of next week. 

Winds will shift from the north to the southwest by Friday night, sending high temperatures into the mid 60s Saturday and upper 60s by Sunday, Gardner said. 

"The temperatures are going to change pretty quickly over the next 24 hours as we get a shift in wind," she said. "We'll start to see some warmer air coming up from the west getting pushed into North Carolina. This weekend should look a lot like last weekend. Not too much to complain about."

Lows will fall into the 30s again early Saturday and should be near 40 early Sunday. 

Highs will climb back into the 70s early next week with a chance of rain entering the forecast by Tuesday.