Cooler day with temps in the upper 60s forecast for Long Island on Wednesday

Cooler conditions settle across Nassau and Suffolk counties for the next several days, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.

After a stretch of warm, humid weather, a cold front pushed in late Tuesday and is expected to drop daily high temperatures up to 15 degrees, the service's Upton office said.

Daily highs Wednesday in the mid to upper 60s are likely, with breezy northwest winds from 11 to 16 mph, and those temperatures are expected to climb only slightly, into the low 70s, for the weekend.

Gusty winds also are likely Wednesday, which along with Long Island's dry conditions has prompted the service to issue a red-flag warning for rapid fire spread, in effect from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The warning means conditions, including low relative humidity and dry ground cover, are ripe for rapid spread of fire should ignition occur.

News 12 Long Island meteorologist Rich Hoffman said there is a threat of some showers late Friday night into the weekend, "but even that wet weather looks to be light."

Conditions for commuters Wednesday were mostly good.

Traffic appeared to be moving well, according to informny.com, the state Department of Transportation website that monitors major roadways.

The Long Island Rail Road also was reporting good service at its site, mta.info.