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A strong cold front and a developing storm system will conspire to deliver plenty of rain -- some of it heavy, possibly -- to the Charlotte metro region this evening and overnight.
In fact, off-and-on rain is likely until Saturday afternoon, when the cold front finally pushes east of the area.
Once the front is gone, conditions will turn much colder for several days, including possibly the chilliest temperatures so far this season next Wednesday morning. Snow also is expected in the mountains late Saturday and Sunday.
All of this is bad news for fans planning to attend high school football playoff games tonight, as the worst of the weather could be arriving during those contests.
Outdoor activities Saturday also could be affected by showers and thunderstorms until the afternoon hours.
But fans headed for the Panthers' game Sunday against Detroit will experience full sunshine, with chilly temperatures.
Forecasters say intermittent rain is likely this afternoon, with a steadier rain arriving this evening. That is because a cold front will be approaching the western Carolinas, and a storm system is forecast to develop along the front and slide northward.
Temperatures, which were in the middle 50s earlier this morning, are expected to climb into the middle 60s by late tonight.
Thunderstorms also are a possibility, and the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., said it will be watching for the chance that a few heavy to severe storms could form somewhere over the Carolinas tonight. The heavy showers are forecast to bring up to 2 inches of rain to the area by Saturday afternoon.
A few peeks of sunshine are possible late Saturday afternoon, with temperatures remaining in the middle 60s. But cold air will begin funneling into the region Saturday night, with readings at daybreak Sunday in the upper 30s.
Sunday's high will be in the mid 50s.
Another cold front is forecast to cross the region Tuesday, dropping temperatures a few more degrees. Lows by Wednesday morning could be in the middle to upper 20s across the area.
