Long Island weather: Foggy start, then mostly cloudy and warm

Thursday morning’s "get up and go" crowd — for the second day in a row — should beware of dense fog that may not clear away until around 9 a.m., said meteorologists, who advised drivers to be sure not to tailgate.

Overcast skies will not be able to keep the sun from breaking through and Thursday as a result could be quite warm for autumn, with an expected high during the day of 72 degrees, the National Weather Service’s Islip office said. That is about 10 degrees above normal.

This new trend of early-morning fog and possibly some drizzle will continue through Saturday but after around midmorning each day, Long Islanders should be able to count on sunshine then arriving, the forecasters said.

And look for Hurricane Epsilon, now 260 miles east-southeast of Bermuda, to make its force felt in the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Long Island.

Epsilon, which now has sustained winds of 110 mph, should stay "well to the east" of Bermuda later Thursday evening, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said, sparing the island a direct hit.

Starting Thursday afternoon, the weather service says Epsilon will produce "long period swell of around 14 to 15 seconds."

For Long Island, the weather service said, "Long period swells will be highest Friday night through Saturday night, then gradually subsiding Sunday into Monday."

Friday's swells could be in the five to seven foot range, the weather service said.

The fog returns Friday morning, though it should not be as dense. There is a 30% chance of showers, most likely before noon, and it will be nearly 10 degrees cooler than Thursday.

"For Friday night, expect a slight cooling trend for low temperatures, more in the mid- to upper 50s," the weather service said. "Some patchy drizzle and fog will be possible towards early Saturday morning. Another cold front moves across late in the day Saturday with a few rain showers possible."

So Saturday will begin with a similar pattern: morning fog, combined with light rain before 9 a.m., and then partly sunny with a daytime high of 68 degrees, the forecasters said.

Sunday looks to be the first day in this period with zero fog or rain. Despite the sun, however, thermometers will not rise above 58 degrees during the day.

Monday and Tuesday share the same 30% chance of rain before the sun reappears on Wednesday.

For the first two days of next week, it will be cooler, with daytime temperatures sticking to the high 60s, the weather service said, before cooling down Wednesday to about 60 degrees.