High winds, cold temps on the way Wednesday night through Thursday morning

Damaging winds are forecast to blow across Long Island overnight Wednesday into Thursday, potentially downing trees and power lines, the National Weather Service said.

A cold front will begin sweeping across the Island Wednesday evening, dropping temperatures and bringing with it sustained winds between 20 mph and 30 mph and gusting up to 60 mph, the weather service said Tuesday. Thursday's afternoon temperatures will reach the low to mid-50s, around 10 degrees lower than Wednesday’s high temps.

The agency issued a high wind watch for all of Long Island from 9 p.m. Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday as the cold front vacates the Island. 

Winds will start to pick up after 7 p.m. Wednesday, and at their peak sometime overnight "could bring down some trees, could bring down some power lines ... and also blow around any unsecured objects," meteorologist David Stark with the weather service’s Upton office said. Sustained winds will start winding down to around 15 mph to 20 mph "shortly after sunrise on Thursday" and throughout the afternoon, Stark added.

While the wind speeds will be "comparable" to those Long Islanders felt trick-or-treating last week, there is only a slight chance of rain during this week’s "change in the weather pattern," according to Stark.

"I wouldn’t call this a storm compared to what he just had at the end of the week," the meteorologist added. "Most of Long Island may not get any rain ... "It’s not unusual this time of year to see this type of stuff."

The NWS issued a storm watch for waters off Long Island from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday, meaning storm force winds — between 48 knots and 60 knots — will buffet watercraft, Stark said.

High temperatures will return to the high 50s and low 60s during a partly sunny Friday afternoon, the weather service forecasts. A chance of rain will linger over the Island from Friday evening through Sunday evening. High temperatures will reach the mid-60s on Saturday and around 60 degrees on Sunday.

A news release from the state said: "Governor Kathy Hochul today urged New Yorkers to prepare for a storm system forecasted to bring widespread strong-to-severe wind, rain, thunderstorms and the potential for snow in higher elevations Wednesday into Thursday."

The state  is banning empty tractor trailers and tandem trucks from using seven bridges beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, with the ban currently expected to last through 4 a.m. Thursday. The seven bridges where the ban will be in effect are: Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, Cross Bay Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge, Marine Parkway Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.