Long Island weather: Showers, with temps 'noticeably cooler'

In the wake of Monday hitting 70 degrees, Tuesday came in cloudy and cooler, with showers expected for later in the day, forecasters said.

There’s “a short window” for precipitation, with chances starting around 4 or 5 p.m. for western areas of the Island, but more likely for 6 p.m. or so, said Joe Pollina, National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton. Showers should be clearing out of eastern Suffolk by 8 to 9 p.m. Also, a rumble of thunder can't be ruled out, forecasters say.

As of just around 2 p.m., Long Island MacArthur Airport was reporting cloudy skies and a temperature of 47 degrees.   

Tuesday’s high was expected to be around 55 degrees, "noticeably cooler" than Monday, the weather service said.

Monday's making it up to 70 degrees at MacArthur marked the first time the airport has climbed out of the 60s since last Oct. 12, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

Based on airport records going back to September 1963, the earliest arrival of 70 degrees was March 10, 2016, and the latest, May 20, 1984. The average day for reaching 70 is April 13.

The next couple of days should be nice, with dry weather and "a good deal of sunshine," the weather service said. Wednesday and Thursday should have seasonable high temperatures in the 50s.

Friday should be mostly cloudy with afternoon showers and highs in the low 60s.