Long Island weather forecast: Rain, flood watch

With potentially heavy rain in Saturday's forecast, a flood watch was issued for Nassau County and New York City effective through 6 p.m..

A slow-moving cold front will bring scattered showers and possible thunderstorms Saturday morning and afternoon that could drop an estimated one to two inches of rainfall on Nassau and Suffolk counties, Rian Murphy, an intern meteorologist at the National Weather Services office in Upton office, said Friday evening.

The flood watch has also been issued for New York City, the lower Hudson valley and northeast New Jersey. Murphy predicts localized flooding, or “nuisance flooding,” for some Nassau areas, as well as Manhattan and the lower Hudson Valley.

A dangerous rip current statement is also in effect for Long Island's South Shore beaches through Saturday evening. Murphy advised beachgoers considering entering the water to not go “where you can’t stand.”

The weather service predicts rain and possible thunderstorms before 2 p.m. Saturday. Forecasts call for a high just above 80 degrees as showers give way to a cloudy but dry evening.

As the skies clear Sunday temperatures will rise to the upper 80s, kicking off a string of hot days through Wednesday.

Murphy said Nassau County may experience a proper heat wave, which would require three consecutive days over 90 degrees. The weather service predicts the temperature in Nassau will reach a high of 89 on Sunday, 92 on Monday, 94 on Tuesday and 91 on Wednesday. Suffolk temperatures are projected to hit highs of 87 degrees on Sunday, 88 on Monday, 90 on Tuesday and 87 on Wednesday.

Factoring in humidity, Murphy said both Nassau and Suffolk residents can expect temperatures to “feel somewhere in the 90s … close to 100.”

Forecasts call for a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday after 2 p.m. Meteorologists predict a 30% chance of showers throughout Thursday.

Long Islanders  should get a reprieve from the heat Thursday as temperatures cool back down into the 80s.