Sunday rain to step aside for picture-perfect Long Island Labor Day

After a Sunday that turned out to be anything but ideal for end-of-summer barbecues, Long Islanders will see plenty of sun for Labor Day cookouts, with more of the same through the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday's high will top out about 80 degrees, staying mostly clear after dark with a low of 55, the weather service said. Along with the sun, another welcome change is in the forecast: a true Long Island Labor Day oddity — reasonable humidity.

"We have this dry air mass building, and so the air will have a real comfortable feel to it [Monday]," said James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the weather service's Upton office. "[It will] get rid of a lot of humidity that we're feeling."

Thunderstorms predicted for Sunday became more widespread by late afternoon, but they were forecast to clear Long Island overnight.

The high through Friday is forecast to hover in the mid-70s after Monday with no rain in sight and evening lows dipping to about 60 through the start of the weekend, according to the weather service.

Temperatures might feel a little cooler than normal as most Long Island children return to school Tuesday, when highs will barely make it to 74, about 5 degrees off the average, according to data from the National Weather Service Climate Center in Islip. Those highs will creep back into the upper 70s by Wednesday, Tomasini said.

There is a chance of some showers Friday and Saturday, according to the extended forecast.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.