Long Island weather: Rainy and cool, patchy fog possible

Thursday may not be a washout, after all: though the odds of rain and possible thunderstorms are 60%, there should be a break in showers from midday until after 5 p.m., the forecasters said.

Those morning showers, National Weather Service meterologist Da'Vel Johnson said by telephone, do not appear widespread.

"They’re really spotty, and should be mostly gone by noonish," Johnson said.

For example, Johnson said, there was the potential for a few bands of showers to sweep into Suffolk, "right off the coast."

The ground has been so drenched recently that patches of fog may arise. The high for the day should be a cool 66 degrees, according to the weather service.

The chances of rain and possible thunderstorms Friday are also 60%, mostly in the afternoon after 4 p.m. The daytime high should hit 70 degrees.

And then for the weekend through Tuesday the skies should be sunny.

Temperatures on Long Island during this period will rise at least into the mid-80s during the day and retreat to the mid-60s at night, the weather service said.

Still, some sections of the tri-state area could be hotter, with thermometers reaching the 90s during the day, the weather service said.

"Temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s will be likely through the weekend for afternoon highs, more so on Sunday," the weather service said. Still, it added: "Fair weather clouds should help mitigate temperatures and provide ample shade."

Widespread showers, storms

The "warm and humid airmass" sitting over much of the eastern and southcentral United States is triggering showers and thunderstorms from the Northeast to the western Gulf Coast, the weather service's Weather Prediction Center advised.

A high pressure system, which ordinarily would bring clear weather as its falling air cools and dries, now sits in the western Atlantic, the prediction center said.

That system "will continue to funnel southerly winds and ample moisture up the eastern third of the country, with a weak cold front located across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys to help spark thunderstorm activity," it explained.

The Storm Prediction Center, another arm of the weather service, says there is a slight risk for severe weather — including intense rain, thunderstorms and flash flooding — from southern New York to central Virginia.

On Long Island, as much as 1½ inches of rain may fall through Friday, the weather service calculated. Some spots could get even more rain, especially during any thunderstorms.

"Minor flooding will be possible with showers and thunderstorms today into tonight, especially for any low-lying and urban areas with poor drainage," the weather service said.

Any swimmers are warned: there is a moderate risk of ocean rip currents on Thursday and Friday.

Saturday will be the slightly cooler day this weekend: look for a high of 79 degrees. Sunday’s daytime reading should climb to 83 degrees, which should also be the high for Monday and Tuesday.

There is a 30% chance of rain on Wednesday, according to the weather service

And once again, it could be even warmer, with the weather service predicting that "temperatures could climb into the low 90s through mid-week."

It added, "Reprieve is possible near the end of the week once a shortwave dips south out of Canada into New York."

A shortwave trough, the weather service says, is "a disturbance in the mid- or upper part of the atmosphere which induces upward motion ahead of it."