Long Island forecast: Cold overnight, then sun, clouds and weekend rain

A cold and mostly cloudy Thursday night on Long Island will give way to a cool and partly sunny Friday, with showers likely early Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

The overnight low will dip to about 34 degrees with light winds before Long Islanders wake up to sun, clouds and temperatures topping out Friday at close to 50, according to the weather service.

By Friday night, the clouds thicken with a 40% chance of showers after midnight. A 40% chance of showers remains Saturday, increasing to 80% at night, forecasters said. The high Saturday will hit an early spring-like 63, plunging to 37 at night, according to the weather service.

Record high temperatures, all but one of which were set in 1971, could topple Saturday: Islip’s record is 65. For other local airports, the records are: LaGuardia, 62; Kennedy, 67, and Liberty and Bridgeport’s Sikorsky Memorial Airport, both 65.

For New York City, the record of 64 dates back to 1879; the statistics for Islip began in 1963.

Saturday’s showers may add up to less than a tenth of an inch — which means swift winds may turn out to be the main threat.

Blowing from the southwest, winds will increase to 21 mph in the afternoon — and gusts could hit 39 mph.

An additional quarter-inch of rain could fall Saturday night.

On Sunday, the weather reverses: Look for sunshine, and a much cooler daytime high of 47 and a low at night of 34.

With Joan Gralla