Long Island weather: Evening, overnight storms bringing gusty winds, heavy rain

A strong cold front is bringing rain that may turn into heavy downpours Thursday night and overnight, along with storms that contain damaging winds — especially for eastern Long Island, the National Weather Service said.

The potentially hazardous but isolated thunderstorms will affect Long Island most of the night, moving west to east and clearing by late Friday morning, with a bright and sunny weekend to follow, forecasters said.

The storms could produce heavy rain, between one and two inches, and wind gusts of up to 34 mph. Heavier rain and higher winds are expected on the East End and there is a wind advisory for eastern Long Island, warning of gusts between 45 mph and 50 mph.

Minor flooding will be another threat, along with “flash flooding of urban areas, roads and along small streams and creeks,” the weather service said.

The front should "slowly" move east overnight, but showers could continue across the Forks and southeastern Connecticut early Friday morning, the weather service said.

And then, thanks to a high pressure system, whose sinking air blocks clouds, the sunshine returns Friday, the weather service said.

Daytime temperatures will cling to the mid- to upper 60s through Monday.

"Temperatures over the weekend will be close to seasonable levels but a bit above normal in the warming southerly flow on Sunday,” the weather service said.

Friday night will be cool, with thermometers falling to 48 degrees. Nighttime temperatures should then slide no further than the mid-50s until Tuesday, when a low of 41 degrees is expected.

Another cold front likely will dampen Monday, starting around 2 a.m.

Clouds then dominate, along with possible rain — the odds gyrate from 30% to 50% — until Tuesday night, when clear skies return, signaling a sun-filled Wednesday, the forecasters said.

And, the weather service said, “Frost may be an issue across the interior if winds can lighten enough.”