Long Island weather: Rain, thunderstorms on Saturday

The Long Island weekend starts with possible thunderstorms on Saturday and temperatures that won’t surpass 70, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday’s high temperature is expected to be in the mid-60s. Rain may briefly stop on Saturday morning, but it’s expected to return during the afternoon with a "slight chance" of thunderstorms, according to weather service meteorologist James Tomasini.

"Chances for showers and potential thunderstorms are going to continue through the day. There may be a little bit of a dry period through the morning, but then as we get into the afternoon again, [expect] some scattered showers and thunderstorms," he told Newsday.

Tomasini said temperatures on Saturday could be "a little bit warmer on the North Shore" because of gusty winds coming from the south. Winds are expected to be as strong as 35 mph, which is about enough to make trees sway, according to the National Geographic.

Saturday’s rain is expected to stop before midnight, when the low temperature will be in the upper 40s.

"Then we’re expecting a dry Sunday, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s," Tomasini said. It will remain windy tomorrow before temperatures dip back down into the high-40s on Sunday night, he said.

The warm, sunny weather is slated to return on Monday when the high temperature will be 70 degrees. Tomasini added that "the winds will finally settle down on Monday."

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.