Forecasters: 'Great couple of days' of weather on tap

It will feel more like mid-May than early April, as temperatures will be nearly 20 degrees higher than normal over Long Island by midweek, forecasters say.

And for Long Islanders overwhelmed by the wettest March in recent history, it translates to one bit of advice: Get out and enjoy.

"I know it's midweek and lots of people are working, but if you can get out, it's going to be a great couple of days," said meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki of the National Weather Service in Upton.

Normal temperatures for Long Island this time of year are in the low- to mid-50s, he said.

The next three days should be near-perfect, sunny, spring days.

Monday's predicted high is 66. Tuesday's high is expected to be 71, with a calm south wind between 12 and 15 mph. On Wednesday, conditions are even brighter, with a high of 77 and west winds between 8 and 14 mph.

Out east, Ciemnecki said, those temperatures could be slightly cooler but it will still be clear and sunny.

By the end of the week, however, cooler temperatures and rain are expected to return.

Thursday's daytime high is expected to be 73 degrees, with a 40 percent chance of nighttime showers and thunderstorms.

Temperatures will drop a "solid 20 to 25 degrees on Friday" because of the new air mass, the service said.

Over this past weekend, which featured blue skies and warm temperatures, Long Island weather watchers logged new highs in their books.

John Murray, another National Weather Service meteorologist, said Islip reached a high of 75 Sunday, beating the previous April 4 record of 66 set in 1997. Islip records go back to 1986.

In Bridgehampton, weather watcher Richard Hendrickson, who has recorded data since 1930, reported a high of 72. That easily tops the previous high of 63 Hendrickson recorded in 1997.

With Will Van Sant