Long Island weather: More rain could arrive later in week

The substantial rain that Long Island received this week may be followed with additional showers in the coming week — but it's not yet clear if this will move the region out of its current "severe drought" status.

Islip received over 2.3 inches of rain since showers began on Wednesday, which is more than three times the total 0.65 inches that fell over the nearly three previous months, from Aug. 21 to this past Monday, according to the National Weather Service. 

There is a chance of more precipitation on Monday night into Tuesday, though "it doesn't look like it's anything near what we had over the past couple of days," Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the weather service in Upton, told Newsday. There is a chance of more extended precipitation on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, according to the weather service. 

The U.S. Drought Monitor still lists Long Island as being in a "severe drought," though that status does not reflect precipitation since Thursday. The status is updated each week on Thursday, according to Pollina.

The coming weather systems "will gradually help the drought," Pollina said.

On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a statement that after two weeks, the Jennings Creek/Sterling Forest State Park wildfire, on New York's border with New Jersey, was "fully contained."

From Nov. 8 to Friday, the fire burned 5,304 acres across the two states, according to the governor's office.

"Since Nov. 10, 427 fire companies — nearly all of them volunteers — have sent more than 1,300 firefighters and equipment to help," the statement said. 

On Long Island, Suffolk firefighters have battled more than 300 brush fires since Aug. 21, and in Nassau, firefighters have raced to put out at least 70 more.

Paradoxically, despite the current drought, overall precipitation this year has been 1.5 inches above average on Long Island. This is in part due to extreme weather events, such as the once-in-a-generation storm in August that inundated several North Shore villages and towns with 6 to 10 inches of rain.

"It goes to show that drought can happen on a very short time frame," Pollina said.

Sunday, Long Island should have sunny skies, with a high temperature near 53 degrees, according to the weather service. It is expected to continue to be breezy, with wind blowing out of the west at 16 mph to 22 mph. Gusts could reach as high as 36 mph.

It should also be mostly clear Sunday night but the thermometer could slide down to about 36 degrees.

Saturday, the weather threw a wrench into the annual Town of Brookhaven Polar Plunge at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. A few minutes before the start, officials determined the wind, with gusts of 32 mph, was causing choppy conditions on Long Island Sound that made it too dangerous for swimming.

In place of the plunge, participants were sprayed with water from a fire hose.

The temperature topped out at about 50 degrees Saturday afternoon, according to the weather service.

With Joe Werkmeister