Behind the rain, thunder in North Texas are much cooler temperatures. But will it freeze?

Rain intensified Thursday afternoon as temperatures began to dip as a cold front moved through North Texas, heading south and east. Rumblings of thunder could be heard in some parts of the region, “maybe a little bit of gusty winds here and there,” but no serious weather is expected, NWS meteorologist Patricia Sanchez told the Star-Telegram. By Friday, the rain will have moved on.

“But there’s still moisture left behind the front, so we do have this rain,” Sanchez said. “It’s not gonna comfortably dry out.”

At the start of the week, temperatures around the region flirted with record highs, bringing unseasonably warm and dry weather.

But as the cold front moves out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, expect highs in the 50s and 60s starting Friday and continuing through the weekend and into early next week — “which is around five to 10 degrees below normal,” she said.

It will stay dry even as the weekend turns a bit cooler at night with lows dropping into the 40s, but no freeze is in the forecast. Expect cloudy and overcast days, Sanchez said, which will keep frigid temperatures overnight at bay.

Sanchez pointed out that there is a slight chance of rain early next week, “but chances are really low,” she added.

The NWS forecast states, “another system will bring light rain to parts of North and Central Texas Monday and Tuesday.” After that, the next system is not expected to arrive until a week from today.

“We are now seeing a transition into fall weather,” Sanchez said. “At this time of year, we are going to see more northerly movement.”

With the air mass coming from the north, expect cooler temperatures, she said.