Bright sunshine, seasonable weather next few days

Sunshine and seasonable weather will return, after a wintry start to the week brought cold winds and frequent snow showers.

High pressure will slide east of Ohio, allowing winds to turn southerly, pushing afternoon temperatures into the low 40s. After another subfreezing night, increasing clouds and a mild south wind will bring more comfortable weather for holiday shopping through the weekend.

A relatively weak system will bring a chance for a few showers late Friday night and early Saturday. Behind a cold front of Pacific origin, the weather will remain mild through the Christmas holiday period.

A storm will form in the southern Plains later in the weekend and track slowly northeastward, drawing moisture into the middle of the country, with rain spreading east Christmas night and Tuesday that will linger into midweek. Another chance for rain, possibly mixed with snow showers, will mark the arrival of chillier air by New Year's weekend.

Forecast

• Wednesday: Sunshine, milder. High 43
• Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 31
• Thursday: Clouds increase. High 44
• Friday: Mostly cloudy increase, rain at night. High 46 (32)
• Saturday: Showers early, clouds linger. High 46 (39)
• Sunday: Cloudy, mild. High 52 (40)
• Christmas: Cloudy, showers at night. High 56 (42)
• Tuesday: Rain. High 54 (48)