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Good travel conditions Thursday in Philadelphia but rain is on the way. Here's the forecast.

Chilly, dry weather Thursday before warm-up and rain chances around Philadelphia
Chilly, dry weather Thursday before warm-up and rain chances around Philadelphia 03:35

Thursday is a big travel day, and the weather conditions will be ripe for great travel! 

A weather graphic showing temperatures for Thursday, 38 in Philadelphia, 42 at the Shore, 37 in the Lehigh Valley
CBS News Philadelphia

Cold temperatures in the morning will have you warming your car a bit early, but tons of sunshine will blanket the region with unseasonably chilly high temps in the upper 30s.

After Thursday, however, a warm-up begins as we head into the weekend with highs in the 40s on Friday and Saturday, warming to the 50s on Sunday.

freezing-rain-chances-philadelphia-map.jpg

Friday night, temperatures drop down into the mid-30s for most of us, and near freezing in spots. Far outside the city in spots like Upper Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley, we'll have to watch for a very small chance of some light freezing rain and icing overnight.  

This would be when most of us will be sleeping. As the sun rises Saturday and temps get above freezing, that risk goes away.

With that warm-up comes several chances of rain. Expect a chance of showers Saturday with rain more likely on Sunday.

In fact, our overall pattern remains unsettled for the final days of 2024 with unseasonably warm and wet conditions to ring in the new year.

In fact, the final hours of 2024 on New Year's Eve look to be wet and warm, with midnight temps potentially in the mid-40s. Rain chances could disrupt your firework viewing if that's in your plans.

As for rainfall, we really need it badly! December has seen 2.28 inches so far, which is more than an inch below normal, and when we look back to Sept. 1, our total is just 5.57 inches, making it the fourth-driest stretch for the period EVER (over 150 years), and a whopping 8.51 inches BELOW normal!

A weather map showing that the Philly region is under extreme or severe drought, according to the drought monitor
CBS News Philadelphia

Most of the area remains under severe or extreme drought. Tuesday's snow will help, and the rain this week will help, but we need continual rain to help lift these conditions.

The NEXT Weather Team will keep you updated as always!

Here's your 7-day weather forecast

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CBS News Philadelphia

Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 38, low of 24.

Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 42, low of 25.

Saturday: Near normal. High of 44, low of 30.

Sunday: Shower late. High of 53, low of 38.

Monday: Few showers. High of 53, low of 42.

Tuesday: Chance of showers. High of 51, low of 41.

Wednesday: Chance of showers. High of 49, low of 42.

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