Forecast: Light snow across LI ends with overnight warming

The mix of light snow and sleet that pelted Long Island communities Saturday afternoon is expected to dissipate as temperatures steadily climb overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

"Likely as we head into the next couple of hours, it's just going to be rain," meteorologist David Stark in Upton said shortly before 5 p.m.

Rain will continue through Sunday afternoon and taper off from west to east across the island that evening, Stark said.

Saturday's high was 38 degrees, but temperatures will rise overnight to about 50 degrees by 5 a.m. Sunday due to southeastern winds, Stark said. "We might be in the upper-50s tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. It's going to warm up a little bit, briefly," he said.

Stark said the record high for Long Island on Jan. 4 -- 64 degrees -- was set in 1998.

"We're likely not going to get that warm" on Sunday, he said, adding that Sunday's high was "unusual, but there can be situations where we get warm temperatures in January."

The average high temperature on Long Island in January is about 40 degrees, Stark said.

The rain and warm air is expected to end when a cold front moves in Sunday night. Monday's high is expected to be in the mid-30s.

With Deon Hampton