After rain, drier, cooler air for LI

Clear, dry weather is expected to replace a sweep of Monday morning showers, the National Weather Service said.

Most of Long Island was blanketed by rain Monday, including some early morning soakings in Suffolk County, which was under a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 a.m.

The Upton-based service canceled the watch shortly before 7 a.m., with some areas getting more than a quarter-inch of rainfall.

Long Island MacArthur Airport reported three-tenths of an inch of rain overnight, said John Murray, a meteorologist with the service.

"Mainly, those severe storms were west of us," Murray said, "with parts of the lower Hudson Valley and New Jersey getting most of the rain."

The Long Island Power Authority reported between 400 and 700 outages Monday morning, most of them weather related, according to a company spokesman.

About 200 of the outages were in Brookhaven and another 140 in Oyster Bay, according to a company website. Power was restored to most before noon.

An incoming cold front brings in drier and cooler air, starting later Monday, Murray said.

But most of the day Monday will be a bit warmer than usual, with sunny skies, highs in the 60s and a bit of a breeze from the west, the service said. Winds could range from 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.

"We'll be drying out by midmorning," Murray said, "although some rain could continue to fall in the East End."

For the week, temperatures will be mostly normal, with overnight lows in the mid 30s to low 40s and daily highs into the mid 40s and low 50s, the service said.

Murray said the incoming cold front could make Tuesday night the coldest period of the week, with temperatures dipping into the low 30s.