Winter to take 'hiatus' as warmer air moves into NC

"We're going to see a lot of sunshine today. It's going to be beautiful," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. 

Temperatures will climb into the mid-50s by lunchtime across much of the area, near normal highs for mid-February. 

The last time highs reached the 60s at Raleigh-Durham International Airport was Feb. 3, when the high was 64 degrees. 

"We had a front move through overnight, and we're seeing warmer air coming into the region from the south and west," Gardner said. "That pattern is going to stay with us, but we could also see a bit more unsettled weather as more fronts move toward our area."

The first of the two systems will arrive late Tuesday and could produce showers overnight and during the first half of the day Wednesday. 

Light showers could linger into the afternoon Wednesday, but they should be few and far between, Gardner said. Despite the rain, daytime highs will once again be warm, likely topping out in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees.

Clouds will stay put Thursday, but the Triangle should avoid rain. 

"The system we're really going to need to keep an eye on could get here early Friday," Gardner said. "It could generate some thunderstorms, and right now, it's looking like our best chance for those will be during the morning hours."

Cooler air will be back in the area by the weekend, but it will be accompanied by bright sunshine. Daytime highs will be near 60 degrees both Saturday and Sunday.