Pleasant weather today will give way to more unsettled weather for Independence Day. Showers are likely during the day Saturday, however, it appears that rain should move out before the fireworks start. Sunday sees a return to sunny weather, with the beginning of next week starting off dry.

Rest of today – sunny skies should yield comfortable high temperatures in the low-mid 80s.

Saturday (Independence Day) – an area of low pressure is forecast to pass to the south of Long Island Saturday. Rain showers are possible during the day along a nearly stationary frontal along this low pressure center. With the low pressure to our south, we will be experiencing southeasterly, easterly, then northeasterly winds associated with the counterclockwise rotation around the low. These winds and mostly cloudy skies will serve to suppress high temperatures to well below normal in the mid-70s range.

Now, the all-important question: will it rain during the fireworks displays? As of now, it appears that the bulk of any rain is expected to have moved offshore or east of the area by 8PM Saturday, which should allow for dry conditions during fireworks displays.

Sunday – conditions improve rapidly during the overnight hours Saturday into Sunday. Sunday will feature sunny skies, and highs in the low-80s.

Monday – an increase in cloud cover will herald the next week, with high temperatures remaining in the low-80s.

Drought Update

Drought conditions continue to abate in the region with multiple rounds of significant precipitation events. However, moderate drought persists in Eastern Long Island, as depicted in the beige shaded areas below.