FIRST ALERT: Plenty of sunshine and cool for Thursday

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Weather Highlights:

• Cooler today but more sunshine than yesterday
• Rain returns for Saturday. Sunday is the pick of the weekend
• More showers Monday PM into Tuesday AM

The rain is long gone and we're going to see much cooler, but drier, weather for the day today.

After a cool start in the low to mid 40s, temperatures will climb into the mid 60s for the afternoon with a NE wind 5-15 MPH.

Another quiet but cool night tonight with temperatures getting down into the low to mid 40s under clear skies. Friday is a touch more seasonable with highs in the mid 70s, but clouds will be on the increase and we can't rule out a few stray showers just before midnight.

We are watching two other systems that will bring unsettled weather to the Midlands.

The first system will bring showers/rain Saturday. As of right now, Saturday is looking like a washout, especially the first half of the day.

The good news is that the entire weekend isn't a wash, Sunday is the pick of the weekend. We'll likely stay dry but temperatures will only be in the low 60s under a mix of sun and clouds.

Another quick moving system brings more rain for the second half of Monday into Tuesday morning. The AM commute on Monday is looking okay, but by the late afternoon, more rain will arrive and we're looking at a wet PM commute.

Stay ahead of the storm and download the WIS First Alert Weather App!

Your WIS First Alert Weather Team is also keeping an eye on an area of low pressure that is forecast to move through the Southeast U.S. by Saturday, then offshore.

As the low pushes through the Palmetto State, we'll have to watch it. We're expecting mainly rain Saturday across the Midlands. Our temperatures will be well above freezing for much of the day. Highs will be in the 60's and 70's. However, as the low starts moving offshore later in the day Saturday, some cooler weather might trickle in just in time for some of that rain to transition to some sleet or possibly a couple of snowflakes. No accumulation is expected.

Communities adjacent to the North Carolina state line need to pay special attention to this system as it scoots by Saturday night into Sunday morning. We're not expecting much from this, but we have several days to fine tune the forecast.

Forecast:

Today: More sunshine with highs only in the mid to upper 60s. NE wind 5-15 MPH.

Tonight:  Clear and cool again with lows in the mid 40s.

Friday: More seasonable with highs in the mid 70s. Increasing clouds with a stray shower possible before midnight.

Please note that this forecast is not set in stone. Our forecast models will likely change over the next several days.

Stay with your WIS First Alert Weather Team for further updates.

Copyright 2018 WIS. All rights reserved.