On LI, raindrops may be falling on our heads

Begging for rain, Long Islanders might soon be singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away."

The National Weather Service is predicting 2 to 3 inches of rain in the coming days -- precipitation that forecasters said could cause flash floods.

The U.S. Drought Monitor has categorized the current drought conditions in the region as "severe," noting that for the past 90 days 25 to 50 percent of the normal precipitation has fallen from Virginia to Maine. Locally, areas around Long Island are seeing rainfall levels that are 8- to 12-inches below normal.

Those conditions have been conducive to the spread of brushfires and wildfires, which destroyed more than 1,100 acres in Suffolk recently, forecasters have said.

The most recent forecast from the weather service is calling for a slight chance of rain or drizzle beginning after 1 a.m. Saturday -- with a chance of showers and thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m. Saturday.

Rain is "likely" Sunday morning and afternoon and is predicted to continue through Sunday evening into Monday. Partly sunny skies are expected Tuesday.

Long Island and the five boroughs are likely to receive significant rainfall and a hazardous weather outlook statement released Friday morning by the weather service said, "There is the potential for around 2 to 3 inches of rainfall across the tri-state from Sunday into Monday night. While urban and poor-drainage flooding will be the main threat, there is a small chance of flash flooding."