Winter ends with whimper as temp hits 68

On the last day of winter, the temperature at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma came close to breaking the record 69 degrees set in 2010, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 1:50 p.m. Monday the temperature at that location was 68 degrees, but went no higher during the day, meteorologists said. As of 4:30 p.m., the temperature there was 66, said David Stark, meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Upton.

Thanks to a cold front expected to dip down from northern New England, the Islandwide daytime highs on Tuesday, the first day of spring, are forecast to be in the mid- to upper- 50s, said Gary Conte, also a weather service meteorologist in Upton.

Spring starts in the Northern Hemisphere Tuesday at 1:14 a.m., Eastern time, when the sun is directly above the equator as it moves northward, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac website.

Some early morning commuters on Tuesday will have to contend with dense, patchy fog, starting around midnight and lifting by about 8 a.m., he said.

Look for that same fog pattern again early Wednesday and possibly Thursday, he said. Just like the warmer weather, fog "is a natural part of spring," he said.

Temperatures, Conte said, should be back up to the mid-60s on Wednesday, and again approaching 70 by Thursday, but 5 to 10 degrees cooler along the South Shore and East End.