Heavy rain, wind forecast for Long Island

A storm front from the South is moving toward Long Island, bringing rain and gusting winds and prompting a wind advisory for Suffolk County beginning Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The storm means heavy rain for many states along the Atlantic Seaboard, from the Carolinas to New England.

While Long Island will get a drenching -- between three-quarters of an inch to 2 inches inch of rain from Wednesday night through Thursday in some areas -- winds of 25 mph to 35 mph with gusts of 50 mph are forecast for Suffolk, the Upton-based service said.

The wind advisory is in effect from 3 to 10 a.m. Thursday, the service said, but high winds could start blowing as early as Wednesday night.

A wind advisory is issued when sustained winds of 31 mph to 39 mph or gusts of 46 mph to 57 mph are expected, the service said.

The high winds could down tree limbs, causing isolated power outages, and also make driving difficult and send loose outdoor objects airborne.

In Nassau County, winds are not likely to be as strong, with forecasts for east winds between 14 mph and 25 mph from Wednesday night into Thursday.

The rainstorm could stretch between 12 and 18 hours, beginning Wednesday night, when the chance of precipitation is 70 percent to 100 percent for many parts of Long Island.

On Thursday, the chance of precipitation drops to 60 percent, and by Friday morning it is expected to be 30 percent.