Long Island weather: Bright and clear, with highs in the 70s

Wednesday, just like Thursday, is expected to be bright and clear, with temperatures rising into the upper 70s during the day and slipping to around the 60s at night, forecasters said.

A high pressure system clearing away clouds as the air dries and cools should deliver fair weather until around Friday, when a cold front begins taking over, the National Weather Service advised.

Friday will see the clouds roll in, and there is a 40% chance of rain after 10 p.m., the weather service advised.

Highs should be in the upper 70s, the weather service said.

And then, as a southwesterly wind develops, the weather service said, "A warmup can therefore be expected."

It added that there will be "a bit more humidity with some onshore component to the flow, especially (in) eastern areas."

The term flow refers to wind.

"Warm and humid conditions are forecast on Saturday with highs in the middle to upper 80s for most locations except the immediate coast which will be in the upper 70s and lower 80s," the weather service said.

A few spots in the New York City metropolitan region could see temperatures spike to 90 degrees, the weather service said.

Still, spring will maintain its grip on the metropolitan area, unlike the blistering heat wave forecast for the desert southwest and the Plains.

The weather service's Weather Prediction Center says, "Dozens (possibly hundreds) of daily record high maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be set over the next few days in California, the Intermountain West, Desert Southwest, Rockies, and Central/Northern Plains."

On Long Island, showers and thunderstorms may arrive after 2 p.m. Saturday. The odds of rain are 40%.

The timing partly depends on how different systems interact, and when a trough — a low pressure system — sweeps in from the Great Lakes. Rain arrives with low pressure systems as warm air rises, allowing vapors to condense.

A sunny Sunday — which should be slightly cooler, as a cold front moves offshore — will follow.

"Highs on Sunday will be in the lower to middle 80s," the weather service said.

While Monday should be much the same, with a slightly cooler daytime high of 80 degrees, it will be more humid as another frontal system arrives.

There is a 40% chance of showers Monday night and Tuesday.

"Temperatures may end up a bit cooler on Tuesday, but this will be dependent upon how (much) shower/thunderstorm activity ends up occurring across the area," the weather service said.