Cold but sunny Tuesday, Wednesday, NWS says

With a dusting of snow leftover on the ground, this December week started out cold and it looks to stay that way for at least the next couple of days.

The high temperature Monday in Islip was 39 degrees just before 1:30 p.m., and on Tuesday and Wednesday — both expected to be sunny — daytime highs are predicted to barely make it to 40 degrees.

The National Weather Service said Monday evening that Tuesday night thermometers will slide down to about 26 degrees with wind chill values between 20 and 25 degrees.

"Highs Tuesday and Wednesday will struggle to get to 40. The coldest night will be tonight as winds relax somewhat, ranging from the mid teens inland to the mid and upper 20s at the coast. For Wednesday morning, gusty north winds will limit radiational cooling with most locations in the 20s. This is about 5 to 10 degrees below normal," the weather service said in its Monday forecast.

And there's rain on the horizon for Thursday and Friday. 

Those days, the temperatures will be somewhat milder, in the high 40s Thursday with a 50% chance of rain and the low 50s on Friday, with a 80% chance of rain, forecasters said.

Area skies should clear for the weekend, however, with both Saturday and Sunday expected to be mostly sunny. Saturday the high temperature will be about 44 degrees and Sunday the high will be about 40 degrees, according to the weather service.