First day of fall to bring LI cooler temps

Fall begins early Saturday with a storm system bringing cooler temperatures this weekend as it hits just west of Long Island.

Gusty winds are expected in parts of the South Shore of Nassau County, but meteorologists expect the worst of the thunderstorms and damaging winds to miss the Island.

The weather service has amended the forecast since Friday, when it predicted severe thunderstorms and damaging winds for Saturday across Long Island.

"There's potential for brief gusts of wind. If there's any threat, that appears to be the one," Joey Picca, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, said Saturday. "There doesn't look like there's going to be a hail threat or tornado."

Temperatures will be in the low 60s to upper and mid-50s in some areas on Long Island, Picca said. The rain is expected to begin about 10 p.m. and last until early Sunday morning, Picca said.

A high rip-current risk is still in effect for the south shores of Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn, according to the weather service's website.

Sunday night into Monday, temperatures will feel Fall-like, Picca said, in the low 50s to upper 40s. "It's a good time of year, so get out and enjoy it," Picca said. "Before we know it will be winter."