Long Island to get taste of summer Monday

Did we skip spring?

Monday's weather may make you think so. Long Island is expected to enjoy highs in the upper 70s Monday, and temperatures in New York City could soar to 86 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

A storm system in the Midwest is pulling warm air from the southwest in our direction, causing the above-average temperatures, said meteorologist David Stark.

Sunday afternoon could be partly cloudy, with temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s, Stark said. Sunday night's low will be in the 50s, Stark said.

Monday will be a "very, very warm day," he said, with temperatures in the upper 70s across most of the Island -- about 20 degrees above the average temperatures for this time of year.

While warm, Monday's weather won't break any records -- the record temperature for April 16 is close to 90 degrees, Stark said.

Monday night's low temperatures will be in the low to mid-50s, while Tuesday's high will reach the low to mid-70s, Stark said.

A cold front will move into the area Tuesday night, dropping low temperatures into the upper 40s and lower 50s.

Temperatures will become cooler midweek, with temperatures in the low to mid-60s Wednesday through Friday.

There is a small chance for precipitation Wednesday through Friday, but "overall it's a dry week," Stark said.

On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor declared Long Island in a severe short-term drought due to the lack of precipitation the area has experienced, Stark said. He said while groundwater and soil moisture levels are normal, the area still is four to six inches below normal rainfall for this time of year.

Climate prediction models give the area an equal chance of being below or above normal precipitation in coming months, he said.

"The big thing is going to be how much lack of precipitation we keep seeing over the next several weeks," Stark said.