Heavy rain is on its way

Here comes the rain.

A low-pressure system building up in the Southeast will make its way to Long Island and the East Coast by Wednesday morning, bringing potentially heavy rain, the National Weather Service said.

Brian Ciemnecki, a meteorologist with the Upton-based service, said Tuesday that rain and cloudy weather will likely cover a 24- to 36-hour period, beginning early Wednesday morning.

"Then it's a little breezy behind the system," he said, "so we're likely to see some drying out by late Thursday morning."

The service said the low-pressure system could deliver rainfall levels of one to two inches, with some heavier bands of up to three inches.

The chance of rain is 60 percent Tuesday night and 100 percent Wednesday, starting about 5 a.m., the service said.

After the system moves out, most likely by Wednesday night, Ciemnecki said windy, breezy weather follows. Thursday calls for sunny skies and a high temperature of 71 degrees, with winds from the southeast between 18 and 23 mph.

Weekend weather won't match the mild, sunny temperatures of the last two, but expect partly sunny skies with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the mid-40s.