Long Island weather: Clearing and much milder on Thursday

Something’s creeping up on Long Island on Thursday — the temperature.

The day is looking at a high of 51 or so, forecasters say, which is well above the normal 41 for the day at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Right around noon, the temperature at the Ronkonkoma-based airport hit 49.

Clouds and patchy fog are giving way to mostly sunny conditions, said News 12 Long Island meteorologist Rich Hoffman.

The brief visit to the 50s comes in the wake of Wednesday’s stretch of freezing or below that allowed for that bit of snowy, wintry mix.

Regarding Thursday, “it might be enjoyable for a February day,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nelson Vaz at the service’s Upton office.

But there’s no talk of record-breaking temperatures for the date.

Last Feb. 21, it was like summer in Central Park — 80 degrees, the service said. In Islip, it was just a balmy 60 due to longer-than-expected cloud cover, the service had said.

Still, better not get too comfortable with the 50s, as Thursday’s rise is to be just a blip. Temperatures start dropping to around 31 degrees for just around daybreak Friday, the weather service says.

Friday, then, is expected to bring sunny skies with a high of around 43, with similar conditions for Saturday.

Back we go, then, to precipitation mode, with rain looking likely for Saturday night into Sunday — which is expected to make a return visit to temperatures in the 50s.