Long Island weather: Windy and cold; warmer weather arrives next week

Wind gusts of nearly 30 mph will continue into Friday, making it feel like 10 to 20 degrees depite sunshine that will help raise thermometers on Long Island to 35 degrees, forecasters said.

Those powerful breezes, and the cold snap lowering temperatures around 10 degrees below average, will continue into a partly sunny Saturday — but both the wind and the cold should ease starting Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

Beginning on Monday, look for some early spring-like warmth to start arriving, with mostly sunny days and slowly-rising temperatures predicted through Thursday.

While Monday’s daytime high will only reach the low 40s, by Thursday thermometers should rise to the mid-50s, the weather service said.

Below-normal cold

All those blustery winds now sweeping across Long Island are partly caused by the tension between two systems.

"The region will remain between strong low pressure over eastern Canada and high pressure situated over southern Canada and the upper Midwest through the start of the weekend," the weather service said.

It added, "Temperatures for today will continue to average a good 10 degrees or so below normal despite the stronger March sun, mainly due to cold air advection."

Cold air advection refers to the way the wind carries an atmospheric property, according to the weather service.

Friday night revelers will not need to look at the calendar to know it still is winter.

"For tonight with the winds staying up and only settling down slightly for sheltered locations at times, temperatures should average a good five to 10 degrees below normal," the weather service said, with wind chills plunging into the teens.

On Saturday, the wind gusts should have slowed to around 10 to 14 mph, the daytime high should hit 36 degrees and the skies should be partly sunny.

By Sunday, the wind gusts will have halved, the skies should see some sun, and the daytime high will hit 37 degrees. That night, thermometers will fall to 24 degrees, but that should be the last cold night as the warm front sets in, the weather service said.

Not only is no rain is predicted for the next seven days, but, the weather service said, "By Thursday temperatures may be as much as 10 to 15 degrees above normal seasonal levels."