Long Island weather forecast: Rainy weekend ahead

Rain is in the forecast through at least next Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The sun has been shining for much of Friday — with a high temperature of 77 degrees — but the first potential precipitation is expected to begin later in the day, after 8 p.m., with a slight chance of thunderstorms and showers, particularly for western Long Island. Some parts of the Island, particularly in the east, may see none.

Monday into Tuesday carries the greatest chance for the most rain of the week, said Joe Pollina, a weather service meteorologist,

"There’s an extended period of some unsettled weather,” he said.

April and May are when we see relatively longer stretches of rain, or longer stretches of dry weather, depending on the weather system

Friday into Saturday will see scattered rain before more steady precipitation begins Saturday night, with the possibility of thunderstorms into Sunday morning.

Wednesday through Thursday, the chance of showers is about a 25% to 30% chance, according to the weather service.

The weather service described the forecast this way: "The stretch of nice spring weather begins to break down as a warm front approaches from the west and south,” with the weather "dominated by a large cut-off low pressure system which will bring periods of rain, possibly with embedded thunderstorms, from the weekend through at least the middle of next week.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.