Warm temps but on and off rain through Thursday, forecasters said

Light mist and above-average temperatures mark Wednesday's weather, in a trend likely to continue through the rest of the year, forecasters said.

Right through New Year's Day, temperatures will remain unusually warm — ranging from the high 40s to the high 50s Saturday.

The nights also will be warmer than average for December, likely not falling further than the low 40s, the National Weather Service said.

But on and off rain will accompany the higher temperatures, the weather service said.

Overnight, downpours likely will start after 1 a.m. and there is a 40% chance of more rain during what probably will be a cloudy Thursday, the weather service predicted. The high will be 49 degrees.

The odds of rain continuing that night are 30%.

The one dry break is expected to be Friday. It should be cloudy during the day, with showers predicted to hold off New Year's Eve until 1 a.m.

Saturday, New Year’s Day, will be strikingly warm; 57 is the official high predicted by the weather service, but temperatures could spike into the 60.

But there is also 90% chance of rain for Saturday and it's expected to continue through Sunday until about 1 p.m. The rain will be "significant," the weather service said, with as much as 1½ inches falling,

The chances of rain on Sunday are 60% — and by nightfall winterlike cold starts settling in.

The nighttime low Sunday will be 24 degrees.

Monday and Tuesday should be clear and cold, with thermometers only rising to around freezing during the day and descending into the mid-20s at night.

This is the "slowest start," the National Weather Service said, to what it calls snow season since 2015, as just two-tenths of an inch have fallen so far in Central Park.

Said the forecasters: "Any additional snowfall will have to wait until 2022, with the remainder of the week [and year] looking more wet than white."