Long Island weather: Spring-like warmth today

The winter-weary will savor Tuesday as it will feel like spring, with temperatures rising ten to 15 degrees above average to 60 degrees, the forecasters said.

Tuesday likely will be the warmest day since Christmas, when thermometers reached 59 degrees. By Thursday, thermometers might even soar into the 70s around the region, approaching record-level warmth.

Before that, the National Weather Service said of Tuesday, "Morning clouds and spotty sprinkles should give way to abundant sunshine and gusty west-northwest flow this afternoon."

Wind speeds are expected to be 9 to 13 mph, the weather service said.

Much of the central and eastern United States is sharing in this unusual and possibly most welcome warmth, which could raise thermometers to the 60s and 70s in that region, according to the Weather Prediction Center, an arm of the weather service.

Tuesday night on Long Island, however, will reveal winter, which officially ends March 20, is not quite done yet.

Clear night time skies will allow the day’s warmth to escape: "Good radiational cooling conditions expected tonight with lows in the 20s across outlying areas and 30 to around 40s closer to urban centers," the weather service said.

Sea breezes will make for a cooler Wednesday — the high is expected to be around 51 degrees — and it still will be sunny.

Temperatures are expected to be cooler by the coast and warmer inland.

After a potentially cloudy night on Wednesday, Thursday will see thermometers climb back up, possibly hitting a daytime high of 68 degrees on Long Island, the weather service said.

And should those night time clouds vanish swiftly, the weather service said, temperatures "across parts of (the) New York City/New Jersey metro and areas to the north and west have (the) potential to rise into the lower 70s to 75," which would be near the records for the region.

Friday should be unusually warm too.

"High temperatures on Friday could once again be 10-20 degrees above average and a nice preview of spring," the weather service said. Highs are expected to be in the low 60s.

There is, however, a 30% chance of showers on Friday as another system arrives.

"As the cold front approaches the area on Friday, a chance of rain showers will be possible with a relatively moist and warm airmass ahead of the front," the weather service said.

The weekend and the start of the work week on Monday, though sunny, will see a return to chillier temperatures. Daytime highs are expected to run around the mid-40s and night time lows will hover near freezing.