Temperatures warm following brief winter blast

Lows Thursday bottomed out around 30 degrees across much of the area, but were still some 10-15 degrees warmer than just 24 hours ago. 

"It's still cold, but our temperatures are much closer to normal than they've been the last two days," Gardner said. "Our official low yesterday was 19 degrees. It was the coldest temperatures we've seen since last February."

Highs Thursday will top out in the low to mid 50s before dropping back near 30 early Friday morning. That warming trend will continue into the weekend, with highs Friday, Saturday and Sunday climbing into the low 60s. 

Passing clouds may make their way to the Triangle late Saturday and Sunday, but the weekend forecast includes much more sun than shade, Gardner said. 

"There may be a few clouds on Sunday, but otherwise, lots of sun this weekend," she said. "A great weekend to spend some time outside, because you never know when that next cold blast will make its way south."

Highs will remain in the mid 50s to low 60s for much of the next week, Gardner said. Lows should also remain closer to January averages, hovering in the upper 30s and low 40s for much of central North Carolina. 

A chance for scattered rain showers creeps into the forecast Monday, Gardner said.