Long Island weather: Rainy, windy start to the weekend
Pedestrians make their way through puddled streets in Wantagh, Friday March 31, 2017. Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa
Rain, heavy at times, is expected through the afternoon Friday and will continue into the overnight hours, the National Weather Service said.
In all, an inch and three quarters to 2 inches of rain is predicted, said Faye Barthold, weather service meteorologist in Upton. The rain is expected to taper off Saturday morning.
Winds also are to pick up, gusting to around 36 mph Friday night, especially on the Twin Forks, the weather service said, leading “to a windswept rain, especially across coastal sections.”
As a result of the weather, flights were being delayed Friday afternoon at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
The rain could lead to minor flooding of poor drainage areas, said Joe Pollina, weather service meteorologist in Upton.
“A cold rain, and wind chills in the 20s and 30s,” said Rich Hoffman, News 12 Long Island meteorologist. And, watch out for “slick roads,” which call for cautious driving.
Temperatures for the day were expected to be around 40 degrees, with east winds at 9 to 18 mph, gusting to 28, the weather service said.
Just before 2 p.m., Long Island MacArthur Airport was recording light rain, with east winds at 21 mph, gusting to 28. The temperature was 39 degrees, feeling more like 29. At that point, rainfall there amounted to half an inch.
When it comes time for the evening commute, Pollina said, rain was expected to be heavy, so it will be slow-going.
Friday night will bring some sleet mixed in with the rain, Hoffman said, with the possibility of a thunderstorm toward midnight.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect from 1 to 4 a.m. Saturday, warning of minor coastal flooding for the north shores of Nassau County and southwestern Suffolk. Most vulnerable shore roads as well as adjacent properties could be affected, the weather service said.
An advisory is similarly in effect from 11 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday for bays of southern Nassau and southwestern Suffolk.
Overnight temperatures of around 37 degrees are expected.
Temperatures Saturday — and welcome to April, by the way — are expected to head up to the low 40s, with windy conditions continuing.
With William Murphy
