Long Island weather: Nor'easter brings rain, winds through Saturday

A nor'easter will whip up winds and bring rain Thursday into Friday, and shore communities are expected to see flooding, the National Weather Service in Islip said Wednesday. 

A coastal flood advisory runs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday for low-lying ocean areas, which will be followed by a coastal flood advisory that evening, the weather service said.

"Additional coastal flooding is possible during subsequent high tide cycles," it said.

East Coast nor'easters, storms that blow in from that direction, can strike at any time of year, but are most violent from September to April, the weather service said.

Long Islanders first saw the effects of the storm Wednesday. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, .47 inches of rain was recorded at Long Island MacArthur Airport, the weather service said. Another 1 to 2 inches was expected to fall onto Eastern Long Island by Thursday afternoon. The winds would also be howling, experts said. 

"Sustained northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph and wind gusts 35 to 40 mph are likely along the coast, including the NYC metro [area]," the experts said. "Across Eastern Long Island, even higher wind gusts of 45-50 mph are possible. The highest winds and strongest gusts are expected Thursday into Thursday night."

Thursday high winds, the weather service warned, "may down several tree limbs, trees and power lines, with scattered power outages and structural damage possible."

Thursday's rain mostly is focused during school hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The daytime high is 59; the nighttime low is just 4 degrees cooler. Rain again is likely Thursday night, when the low will be 52.

Coastal flooding on Long Island is expected to be minor to moderate during high tide Thursday and Friday, with inundation levels predicted to be 1 to 2 feet, and 2 to 3 feet in vulnerable areas impacted by dune erosion, experts said. Areas of poor drainage on Eastern Long Island could see 1-to-2 inches of rainfall between Wednesday and Thursday, the weather service said. 

On Friday, the odds of rain are 50-50, the weather service said. The thermometer should rise a little, to 63, but it could be breezy. The rain might continue that night — there is a 30% chance it will, the service said. The low should be 54.  

Saturday's early showers — the odds are 30% before 8 a.m. — might then depart, allowing weekenders to carry out errands or outside workouts under cloudy skies. The weather service said the high should reach 64; the nighttime low is 51.

Sunday, predicted to be at least partly sunny, starts a patch of clear weather, with temperatures hovering in the mid-60s during the day, and dropping to the lows 50s at night, the weather service said. 

Monday, Columbus Day, should be sunny, it said, and Tuesday mostly sunny.