Long Island weather: Another day of wind, rain, then sunshine Thursday

The low pressure system that has doused Long Island with a dreary mix of wind and rain will be stalling off the coast for one more day, preventing sunshine from returning until Thursday, forecasters said. 

The stubborn system, about the width of Long Island itself, is about 15 miles south of the Island "just spinning," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Wunsch.

"It's kind of just spinning, and it has been spinning, kind of meandering just off the coast for the past couple of days," he said.

Wunsch said the system has some remnant moisture from Hurricane Ian, but is otherwise is unrelated. But whatever the source, it means scattered rain showers and a brisk wind through at least Wednesday night, when an incoming cold front is going to push it off.

Thursday and Friday will be in the low to mid 70s. Then, late Friday into Saturday, temperatures will drop 10 or 15 degrees as that front moves over the area.

As of Tuesday night, rain totals ranged, in Nassau, between 1.44 inches in Muttontown to 2.48 inches in Wantagh and in Suffolk from .62 in Upton to 2.24 inches in Amityville.

The rain should move out by Wednesday night, forecasters said.

"While showers will remain likely for the first half of the day, precipitation chances will then taper off from west to east during the afternoon, with dry weather returning to the entire area overnight," the weather service said.

The weather service issued a coastal flood statement for southwest Suffolk and south Nassau, from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night.

As much as one foot of flooding may inundate coastal areas, affecting everything from roads to basements and erosion is expected on the north-facing shorelines of eastern Long Island around high tide, the weather service said.

Thursday and Friday should be sunny and unusually warm days, for this time of year, with thermometers possibly climbing to the low 70s. Saturday through Monday — which is Columbus Day — should be bright and clear but quite cool, the National Weather Service said. Daytime highs during this period will top out in the low 60s.

The cold front Friday will be ushering in a brisk weekend.

“The front should be moving offshore Friday night allowing one of the coolest air masses of the fall to settle over the area for the weekend,” the weather service said, predicting breezy west-northwest winds on Saturday and Sunday.

With Joan Gralla

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.