Long Island weekend weather forecast: Sunshine, temps in the 80s on tap

Sunshine and perfect beach weather were on tap for Thursday through the weekend and into next week as days of haze and an overnight soak receded from the metro area.

While humidity levels are still expected to be high on Thursday, the National Weather Service said temperatures through Sunday would be in the low-to-mid-80s.

Beachgoers should be cautious, as the weather service issued an advisory noting moderate rip current risks at all South Shore beaches on the Atlantic Ocean from the Rockaways to Montauk.

High temperatures of about 81 degrees were forecast for Thursday and 82 degrees on Friday with slightly warmer temperatures on Saturday and Sunday.

A southeast wind of about 8 to 10 mph was expected on Thursday, with winds of 6 to 11 mph on Friday. Light breezes are in store for Saturday and Sunday.

The weather service said Long Islanders could expect plenty of comfortable sleep weather the next few nights, with overnight temperatures expected to drop into the low-to-mid 60s from Thursday through Sunday.

Though the record high for this date in Islip is 97 degrees set in 2001 — the record low was 54 degrees, in 1994 — official weather service data predicted temperatures for the week right around the norms for this time of year. The weather service records show normal average highs for this time of year to be about 82-83 degrees.

Normal lows average 66 to 67 degrees.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center shows there is one active tropical storm, Dexter, in the Atlantic at present — but the storm, packing 50 mph winds, is far east of Long Island and moving east-northeast, according to prediction models.

There is a 30% chance a developing system off the Carolinas could develop into a tropical storm within the next week, the hurricane center said, while a system moving from the central Atlantic toward the East Coast has a 60% chance of forming to be tropical cyclone. However, at this time, the hurricane center sees none of the three systems posing any real threat to the Long Island-metro area.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”