Long Island weather: Rain on tap for Tuesday

A dry Monday with highs around 60 is forecast to give way to widespread rain for most of Tuesday, meteorologists say.

Look for precipitation to start after midnight, last through the day and wind down late Tuesday night into early Wednesday, said Brian Ciemnecki, National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton.

While the timing of the steadiest, heaviest rain is hard to pinpoint, the most likely period is from Tuesday afternoon to around midnight, he said. So the evening commute is likely to be affected.

The forecast as of late Monday afternoon called for about three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter of rain, with eastern Long Island seeing the higher amounts, he said.

Temperatures through the workweek will be more normal for the month, said Rich Hoffman, News 12 Long Island meteorologist, with a bit of an autumn chill in the air.

Monday night calls for lows in the mid- to upper 40s.

The next chance of rain comes Thursday, the weather service said.

As of the end of the day Sunday, the year's precipitation deficit was at 8.47 inches, according to weather service data, which has been maintained since 1984 for the airport.

Most of Long Island has been in moderate drought since May, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That's the monitor's least severe drought category.