Long Island forecast: Wet, chilly Thursday

While light rain on Long Island has ruled much of the day Thursday, precipitation is expected to start picking up in intensity, but to varying degrees, forecasters say.

Look for somewhat heavier rain starting for most areas shortly after 6 p.m., making for a wetter commute for those heading home on the later side, but with “a bigger jump in intensity” for the eastern half of Suffolk County, said Jay Engle, National Weather Service meteorologist based in Upton.

That eastern area could see a window of three or four hours of steadier rain starting later in the evening, with some pockets of heavy rain, he said.

In all, Nassau could register about half an inch, and eastern Suffolk just under an inch, he said.

A wind shift is also in the making, with winds to come from the south and southeast, bringing warmer air and a rise in temperatures into the evening, the weather service said.

That increase could be close to 10 degrees, Engle said, rising from the low 40s in some spots to near 50 degrees.

Rain is cleared out by daybreak Friday, which brings mostly sunny skies, breezy conditions and highs around the mid-50s, about 5 degrees below normal, Engle said.