After a dreary Friday, sunshine predicted for weekend and beyond for Long Island

Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow Friday. Neither did Staten Island Chuck.

But who needs a couple of groundhogs to tell you spring is right around the corner, when the National Weather Service is predicting a week of sunshine ahead — beginning Saturday? Especially, after the week of dreary weather we've had.

Forget about rain Friday. And forget about frigid overnight temperatures dipping into the 20s.

The weather service is calling for sunny skies Saturday through Thursday — a regular blue streak of sunshine-filled days for Long Island.

Sure, daytime temperatures will hover right around 40 degrees each of those days, according to the weather service.

But, rain? Clouds? Nasty weather?

Forget about it. The weather service said it's not going to happen.

OK, so there is a small craft advisory in effect for all South Shore waters from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, out to Montauk Point. That, from 6 p.m. Friday through to noon Saturday.

But otherwise?

Not a warning, not a watch. Not a hint of trouble in the air.

As the weather service said Friday in its latest three-day forecast: “Light rain Friday morning gives way to one more cloudy day across the tristate. A cold front moves through early in the day, helping to bring drier air into the region this weekend. Sunshine makes a return Saturday and Sunday, with dry conditions expected.”

So, while temperatures Friday — and in the coming days — figure to come nowhere close to the record 59 degrees for Feb. 2, set in Islip in 1973, the lows figure to be nowhere close to the record low of 7 degrees, set in Islip on Feb. 2, 1971, and matched in 1993 and 1994. Weather records kept at Islip date to 1963.

And by the way, the first day of spring is March 19.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”