Forecast: A soggy Christmas for sure on Long Island, maybe even a white one

It's looking like a wet Christmas for Long Island, according the latest forecast, but what remained unclear Monday night was if it will be a white one as well.

The National Weather Service late Monday afternoon issued a hazardous weather outlook for the metropolitan region, warning that Nassau and Suffolk could be buffeted by heavy rain and strong winds by Thursday night and continuing through Friday morning.

Coastal flooding is possible because of a combination of rain and packed snow, the weather service said.

Long Island coastal areas are expected to get hit hardest by the strong gust but the weather service stopped short of providing wind speeds in their afternoon update.

Thursday is expected to be cloudy the rain by the afternoon and continuing through the night. The high Thursday could top out at close to 60 degrees with a nighttime low of 43.

Christmas morning will bring more rain until noon, with the possibility it could change over to snow after that. The high Friday is forecast to be 45 before plunging at night to 24, the weather service said.

There is a slight chance of rain and snow early Tuesday morning then a gradual clearing with a high near 43 and a low at night about 28 with light breezes. Wednesday will be sunny with a high of 44 before clouds roll in at night with a low of 29. There's a small craft advisory in effect for all South Shore ocean waters, effective 6 a.m. Tuesday through 1 a.m. Wednesday, the weather service said.

After a soggy and unsettled Thursday and Friday, clear skies return Saturday when the high will be 32, dipping to 24 at night, according to the weather service.