Long Island weather: Sunny, hot for Father's Day

Mother Nature has ordered sunny skies for Father’s Day.

The forecast calls for highs in the upper 80s with a chance to reach 90 degrees, but with sunny skies and only a risk of a shower or two in the evening. Low temperatures would be in the 70s.

"It would be above average temperatures but well below that of a hot weather advisory," said Da’Vel Johnson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton.

Saturday’s high temp in Islip was 88 degrees which is about 10 degrees above normal, Johnson said. Farmingdale also had a high of 88 degrees.

There's a chance for some intense thunderstorms Saturday evening thanks to a low pressure system coming in from New England.

"We could see a couple of thunderstorms with associated high winds tonight across Long Island with a good chance of heavier winds on the north moving slowly toward the south," Johnson said.

High ozone levels also led the state Department of Environmental Conservation to issue an air quality alert that will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, the weather service said.

And there is a high risk of rip currents at all ocean beaches in Suffolk on Saturday. In Nassau, there is a moderate risk, the weather service advised.

The odds of downpours before 3 a.m. Sunday are 50%, but the day should be sunny with the high again reaching 84 degrees.

So this weekend on Long Island will be much more pleasant than in the West, where no relief from the record-smashing heat wave is expected until Monday, according to the weather service’s Weather Prediction Center.

And with Tropical Cyclone Three developing in the Central Gulf Coast, forecasters are warning much of the southeast to expect heavy rain and possibly severe thunderstorms and other hazards, including flooding and hail.

Back on Long Island, there is a 20% chance of showers after 9 p.m. on Sunday.

"Any shower/thunderstorm activity mainly northwest of New York City should wane Sunday evening, and increasing dew points should lead to a muggy night, with lows in the lower/mid-70s in/around New York City, and in the mid/upper 60s elsewhere," the weather service said.

Monday is expected to be bright and clear, with a daytime high yet again expected to hit 84 degrees on Long Island, though it could soar higher in some places.

"It appears northeast New Jersey [and] the interior valleys should see heat index values in the mid/upper 90s, and parts of New York City farthest away from the ocean harbor could touch 95," the weather service said.

Heat index values could rise to nearly 100 in that section of New Jersey and into the upper 90s in those spots in New York City.

The tristate area will be caught between a cold front traveling in from the west, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Claudette heading to the southeast, the weather service explained.

"There should be only one day of 95-plus heat index values as a cold front approaches Monday night," the weather service said.

The front probably will bring some showers and thunderstorms.

Tuesday’s odds of rain during the day and the night are the same: 60%. And it will be a cooler, with a daytime high of 78 degrees.

Claudette, the third named storm of the season, appears likely to miss Long Island.

"Any moisture from the remnant potential tropical system look to pass well offshore, and this is only if the system survives the trip over land across the southeast," the weather service said.

The Wednesday to Friday period should be sunny and temperate and — thanks to a cold front — daytime highs should top out in the upper 70s, the weather service predicted.