A cold and widespread soaking rain will spread over the Capital Area late Thursday and into Friday. The Friday morning drive will face the greatest impact from the rain. Below average temperatures persist into the weekend.

Tonight & Tomorrow: After working through some dry air late Thursday afternoon, patchy sprinkles will graduate to scattered light rain through the evening. Rain will become steadier and more widespread overnight as a Gulf storm system moves along the immediate coastline. Rain may be heavy at times, especially after midnight. Moderate to heavy rain could lead right into the morning drive, possibly resulting in a treacherous commute. Due to recent freezes and dormant vegetation, the ground may not hold water as well. This could lead to some areas of street and poor drainage flooding.

The intensity of the rain will let up by afternoon, but be prepared to come across a few lingering showers and sprinkles. Most are looking at an inch or two of rain accumulation through Friday, with more localized areas potentially seeing up to three inches. If enough moisture remains trapped, it is not out of the question that a few sleet pellets or snow flurries mix in. But that would occur late, if at all, as colder air pushes back in while the storm system pulls way. Even then, there would be no impacts from these as temperatures stay above freezing.

Temperatures are a tricky forecast. Cloud cover and rain will keep temperatures in the low-40s for much of Thursday evening. The nearby storm system will draw warm air northward by Friday morning. This will result in a brief temperature spike early - some areas closer to New Orleans and Houma might see the 50s and 60s around daybreak. Temperatures will slowly fall through the rest of the day as the disturbance departs to the east.

Up Next: Chilly conditions will carry through the weekend. Highs will be near 50° on Saturday and near 60° on Sunday with lows closer to freezing. Although clouds might be stubborn to break on Saturday, more sun should be available late. Another weak, reinforcing front will pass late Sunday which will maintain the below average temperatures through much of next week. The passage of that front also brings a small chance for a passing shower on Sunday.

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-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron