Long Island weather: A cold and rainy night, a brief taste of spring Saturday

New Year's Day started chilly and cloudy, and it ended soggy — but a little taste of spring was on the way.

Rain was falling across Long Island on Friday night as temperatures hovered in the mid- to upper 30s. That was after a daytime high that barely broke into the 40s, according to the National Weather Service.

Those traveling on roads north and west of Long Island on Friday night should use caution: A light wintry mix was forecast for parts of northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley, and most of Connecticut, with most of those areas changing to rain by 1 a.m. Saturday.

On Long Island, up to three-quarters of an inch of rain was possible before clearing — and considerable warming — overnight.

Temperatures Saturday were expected to rise to 47 degrees by 4 a.m., and then to 55 by noon, under clearing skies.

James Tomasini, a weather service meteorologist, said the daytime temperatures Saturday would be about 10 degrees above the historical average for the day at the weather service's Kennedy Airport climate location.

Saturday also will be breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon, forecasters said. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph.

But the springlike respite will be brief. Temperatures will dip again Saturday night under clear skies, with a forecast low of 29.

More rain, and breezes, are likely Sunday afternoon into the night, with low temperatures in the high 30s. Northeast winds of 17 to 21 mph are predicted Sunday night.

Temperatures next week are expected to revert to the historical mean, with daytime temperatures in the low 40s and in the 30s at night.

Rain is likely Monday morning, mostly before 7 a.m. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high of about 41.

With Nicholas Spangler